


Holographic Dreams

by ForCrimsonAir



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Angstshipping - Freeform, Chaseshipping, M/M, Prideshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:58:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7914184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForCrimsonAir/pseuds/ForCrimsonAir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yu-Gi-Oh! AU where the school system is divided between hard-working, intelligent students (Holo Domino School) and the school with the worst students (Prism Domino School). The characters will be split into both schools, and eventually romance will come out of them. (Please read the notes before starting to read the fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Read notes before starting to read:
> 
> Yami versions don't exist in this fanfic, as the Millennium Items don't exist. So the Yugi shown in this fic is Yami Yugi, but I'll refer to him simply as Yugi. The Bakura in here is Ryou, and Marik is also his hikari version.
> 
> Enjoy the fic!

Episode 01: Just the beginning

 

It was already late, and Yugi was only making some time on the streets. Next day a new school year would begin. Thinking about it gave him headaches. His feet leaded him instinctively towards his high school. He raised his gaze, thinking that the building wasn't too different from a pile of junk put together. The old and dirty metal inscription still let him read "Prism Domino School". He sighed, putting his hands inside the pockets of his leather pants. Why did he bother in going to class another year? To his eyes, all of that was nothing more than a waste of time.

When he heard some voices behind him, he turned around, watching a guy his age, well dressed, being followed by two men walking towards a limousine. "A rich kid" he thought, with a sarcastic smirk on his lips. His eyes met for a brief moment, and he could never forget the image of that boy: brown hair, shining blue eyes… There was no doubt, he was Seto Kaiba, that man that was succeeding with his father's company. Yugi outstretched his arms lazily. There was no point in comparing himself to that kind of people.

 

* * *

 

Morning came very soon. Yugi got into his class without caring about the busy corridors. His class was, once again, a mess. Lots of the students were sitting on the tables, talking loudly. You could see some things being thrown all around the classroom, flying notebooks and everything. Yugi walked in and sat at the end of the desks, trying not to get mixed with all that people. He wasn't surprised by their behavior. It was the Prism Domino School, after all. The school below the Holo Domino School.

In that city, they had started a new education system. Students were given the chance to start having classes on the top school of the place, as long as their marks fitted on the standards. But if your grades began to drop or your behavior was bad-mannered, you ended up getting kicked out of the school, just to end in some worse studying center. And that was just what Prism Domino School was. It was the worst high school of them all, standing the last at the top of grades. Most of their students finished giving up with the flow and started being rude like his classroom was, really bad students with no respect for anyone, often ending up as bullies and being into heavy fights. He was there just because his grades were really bad. Well, and maybe also because of his non-caring, stubborn, prideful and selfish behavior, that made everyone around not wanting to approach him. He didn't give a fuck about it anyways.

The teacher entered the class, slamming the door hard behind her. The students continued what they were doing, as if her presence didn't mean a thing in there. Yugi was crossing his arms behind his head, legs resting folded up the table. He looked at the blonde, long-haired teacher as she walked towards her desk.

 

-Welcome to this new school year at Prism Domino School. As you heard from the principal in his speech from just now, we hope we can make of you good students to have you regain your decent behavior and grades. -She said.

Most of the classroom wasn't paying any attention to her, but not having anything better to do at the moment, Yugi listened to her words.

-I'm Kujaku Mai, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. -She introduced herself.

 

And then the lesson went on, Mai trying to have the situation under control, but still not gathering the attention of everyone. It was a hard task, but maybe if she was stubborn enough she would end up making some progress. As the bell rang, she left the classroom, and many of the students also did.

Yugi prepared to get up and leave, but some students approached him. He had recognized them as a group of friends who were sitting also far from the rest of the class, and actually paying some attention to the teacher. They were three boys: one had blond, messy hair and brown eyes, and seemed to be the worst-mannered of them three; the guy standing at the middle had brown hair, standing up with hair sprayer, and also dark eyes; the third one had black hair, tied up on a ponytail, and green eyes.

 

-Hey! We noticed you and we were quite surprised to see someone like you here… -Said the guy with the brown hair. He pointed at the students that were still in the classroom- After all, we expected everyone here to be like them.

Yugi nodded, not caring too much about their explanations.

-Yeah so? -He said.

-We thought you could join us. Being alone here and having a different behavior will catch up the attention of bullies and… -The brown-haired was too concerned about him, although they didn't know each other. Yugi thought it was in his personality- Well, just so you can have some people in here. It's a kinda depressing mood here. I'm Honda.

-Yeah, just know we're around here. The name's Jonouchi. -Said the blond one, pointing a finger at himself.

-I'm Ryuuji. I hope we can make the school year any less depressing to you. -Said the guy with the black hair, with a light smile on his lips.

-I don't really care about bullies and all. -Replied Yugi- It's not like they're gonna be able to lay a hand on me. But I guess it won't hurt to be with some guys in here.

A smirk appeared in his lips, and the group of guys was slightly surprised at his arrogant way of talking. But they didn't care about it much.

-The name? -Honda smiled back.

-Yugi. -He said, getting up from his seat.

 

They all left the classroom together and walked around the city, the group of boys talking and trying to drag Yugi into the conversation.

-What about going to drink something together? -Offered Jonouchi.

-Yeah, I have nothing to do now anyways. -Said Ryuuji.

 

They all went to a close cafeteria and asked for their drinks. Honda and Jonouchi asked for some alcoholic ones, while Yugi was satisfied with coffee and Ryuuji with a fruit juice.

-Isn't it a bit early to be drinking that? -Pointed out Yugi, looking at the two guys.

-It's never too early for them. -Ryuuji laughed a bit and then started drinking.

-Yeah! This thing's too good! -Said Jonouchi, his mood lighten up.

They all started talking, and Yugi found it comfortable to be around them. They were fun and not the common kind of people of his school. He could feel he was going to enjoy hanging out with them.

 

* * *

 

The other well-known high school in the city was the Holo Domino School. Of course, it was known for a complete different reason than the Prism one. Holo was full of intelligent students with high goals in their lives, putting all their effort to achieve them. No one could slack off there, but they were rewarded enough. Studying there was just a matter of getting used to it, to most of the student's points of view. It's main building shone next to the Prism one. Students were all well-dressed with their clean uniforms, and were well polite and calm.

As the bell rang, everyone got up to give a short bow to the homeroom teacher. In Seto Kaiba's class, that would be Pegasus, a well-known man for his achievements out of the school, being rich and participating in aids for the poor ones. He was a great model for the class to follow.

Anzu approached Shizuka, with a smile on her face.

-It's so good we both managed to continue studying here! -She said.

-Yes! -Shizuka nodded- I'm sad for my brother… this year he didn't make it through.

-Yeah, I heard he was being transferred to the Prism School… He should pay more attention to his grades, and if he had stayed out of fights… -Anzu finished her sentence with a sigh.

Shizuka's look fell to the ground, feeling bad for her brother. She would love to have him by her side, studying together to try and change their family situation. But it seemed that Jonouchi had chose the wrong path, even though that wouldn't make Shizuka's trust for him fade away.

-Well, let's do our best, Shizuka. Hopefully, Jonouchi will put some effort in and come back to this high school next year. -Anzu put a hand over her shoulder to try to comfort her.

-Yes, I hope so. -Shizuka smiled lightly.

 

In the same classroom, a boy with white-haired, long hair was exiting the room, ready to leave. Just when he started walking, he ran onto another boy, who wasn't paying attention when walking. He had dark skin, purple eyes and blond light hair, reaching his shoulders. Bakura blinked a few times.

-Oh, I'm sorry! -Said the other boy, stopping- Are you hurt or something?

-Ah, no… -Bakura said, smiling at his concern.

-Sorry, I seemed to be lost… -The other boy apologized again and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed- Wouldn't you know by any chance were the principal's office is?

-Yes, I do. I'll guide you. -Said Bakura, not having any rush.

Since it wasn't the first year there for him, he knew the place around quite well. The other boy sighed in relief.

-Thank you! -He said- My name's Marik, nice to meet you.

-I'm Bakura. It's nice to meet you too, Marik. -Said the white-haired boy, starting to walk.

Marik followed him, looking around them.

-This place is so big… -He said to himself.

-The first year is kind of difficult, but you'll get used to it. -Bakura said- What's your classroom?

-Actually, I was going to see the principal for that… I got transferred, I'm from another country and today it was my flight… It arrived late so I missed the introduction speech. -Explained Marik.

-Oh, must be a hard first day. -Bakura looked at him, slightly worried.

-Yes, but it’s alright now. –Marik smiled, showing that everything was okay.

Bakura smiled back and stopped before the principal’s office.

-Well, here we are. Take care, Marik. –He said, before leaving.

-Thank you, Bakura. –Replied Marik, and then he turned around to knock the door.

 

* * *

 

Kaiba exited the limousine, parked before the Kaiba Corporation building. He saw a group of boys walking that way, a blond one talking loudly. He recognized one of them. He saw him yesterday night. The group stopped when they were close to Kaiba. Yugi’s eyes met with his, both remaining silent.

-Yugi? –Jonouchi said, blinking. Then he looked at Kaiba- He’s… the boss of Kaiba Corp, right?

Ryuuji sighed and put on a sad smile.

-A Holo student. –He added.

-Yeah, whatever. –Jonouchi looked away.

Kaiba looked away, understanding that they were students from Prism School. Not that he wanted to have anything to do with them.

-I can’t waste my time. –He said, walking towards the building.

A pissed-off Jonouchi was going to start yelling at him, but Yugi spoke quickly:

-You shouldn’t underestimate people just because of their grades.

He also didn’t want to be around that guy, but he couldn’t let him go away with it. Their different situations made them collide, disliking each other at first sight. Kaiba looked at him briefly before saying:

-Losers don’t get to decide who I underestimate.

He then continued walking, without looking back.

-What?! This guy’s such a jerk! –Jonouchi shouted, being unable to hold his words back anymore.

-Yeah. But having a clean uniform must mean the world to him. I hate Holo students. –Said Honda, frowning.

Yugi rolled his eyes in agreement and they all began to walk again, though Yugi couldn’t stop thinking about how he was going to prove that Kaiba boy wrong. His pride wouldn’t allow him to take it his way without having a say in that. Not that he cared about him, but he wasn’t going to let anyone make a fool out of him. After a bit, they all said goodbye and started walking to their homes.

 

* * *

 

And so their first day of class ended. Jonouchi arrived home, sighing and taking his shoes off. He walked upstairs to get into his room, leaving his schoolbag on the floor and throwing himself onto the bed, closing his eyes. Then, without having a moment to rest, his mobile phone vibrated on his trousers pocket. He picked it up and answered the call that was showing on the screen.

-Hello, Shizuka. –He said.

-Hello, brother. –Shizuka replied- How are you? Is everything fine?

Jonouchi smirked sarcastically when he heard the last question.

-Well, it’s better than what I thought. The class is a mess, yeah, but I managed to get some new friends.

-Oh, that’s great. How are they? –She asked.

-Nothing like the rest of the students. They’re cool people. I think I can fit in with them. –Jonouchi smiled lightly.

-I’m glad to know it. I was worried, you know… -Shizuka’s voice lowered a bit.

-Yeah, but you don’t have to. I’ll do fine. What about you?

-Everything’s good.

-Thought so. –Jonouchi raised his eyebrows, not surprised- Shizuka, think we could hang out soon?

He wanted to see his sister, since during the holidays he didn’t get a chance to.

-I could bring my friends too, so you can meet them. –He added.

-I’ll try to. I will ask Anzu to come, too. I’ll make some excuse up for mom. –Shizuka answered.

-Alright, thank you. –Jonouchi smiled.

They arranged a day and a place, and Jonouchi started to feel better, knowing that he would be able to see his dear sister soon. After talking with her some more, he let himself fall to the bed again and fell sleep a few minutes after that.

 


	2. Rivalry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second episode of this AU. Everyone will start getting closer.  
> Hope you enjoy it!

Episode 02: Rivalry

 

Friday came, and Ryuuji, Honda and Yugi were already there. They started talking as they waited for the blond guy.

-What is he doing? He was the one who invited us and he’s late… -Said Honda, sighing.

-Well, coming from Jonouchi this doesn’t surprise me. –Ryuuji raised one eyebrow.

Yugi yawned. Because of his night walks, he felt kind of tired during the day. Some moments later, Jonouchi arrived, being followed by two girls. The other boys frowned. He greeted everyone loudly and then proceeded to introduce the two girls to the boys:

-She’s my sister, Shizuka. And she’s Anzu, a friend of ours.

The first mentioned girl had long brown hair, and Anzu had short, brown short hair but darker than Shizuka.

-My brother talked me about you, guys. -Said Shizuka, smiling.

Honda and Ryuuji ran towards her, both smiling widely.

-I'm Ryuuji, nice to meet you!

-The name's Honda! They looked at each other, frowning. Then, Honda turned around to look at Jonouchi.

-How come you never told us you had a sis? -He asked.

Jonouchi shrugged his shoulders.

-Why should I? We're still starting to get to know each other, right? -He replied.

Anzu approached Yugi, seeing that the others were too busy.

-So… what's your name? -She said, sounding friendly.

-Yugi.

-Nice to meet you. -She smiled.

Yugi didn't answer back. The rest approached them.

-Let's go take something to drink and talk there. -Said Jonouchi, with a smile over his face.

Yugi nodded, and they all started to walk.

-Ahh, so you both go to Holo School… -Said Honda, scratching his head.

The two schools didn't get along well, though this guys didn't mind being with Holo students unless they were completely assholes.

-Yes. But we hope all of you can get there soon. -Shizuka tried to comfort them.

Honda laughed sarcastically, not thinking the same thing at all. Ryuuji held in a sigh. Yugi's thoughts started to work on that idea. He hadn't forget Kaiba, and his desire on proving him that he was better than him. Maybe coming back to Holo would be a good way to do it. But the set aside the idea: it would be impossible.

They all went to a cafeteria and started ordering their drinks. As Yugi thought that would be the usual, Jonouchi and Honda ordered alcohol again. Then, Anzu asked a question that made the boys feel uncomfortable:

-So, how did you guys end up in Prism? They all looked away, their moods dropping.

-Anzu…! Don't talk about that! -Shizuka looked at her, worried about the guys.

-It's okay, Shizuka. -Jonouchi forced a smile- It's not something that we can avoid talking forever. And it will make us know each other better.

Yugi wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it to people who were merely acquaintances to him. After all, they had been just a week together, and that topic was kind of a personal thing. But Jonouchi started to talk:

-Guess I never told it to you, Anzu. I'm sorry, but I needed things to cool down… Now I guess I see it as something that would have happen sooner or later. -He leaned back, his resting on the chair's back.

Shizuka lowered her gaze at those words.

-My grades weren't that great anyways, but I put a lot of effort into it. But someday, some guys started a fight with me. They surrounded me in the back of the school building, saying crap like I didn't deserve my place there… They must had heard about how I passed the test by a decimal. -Explained Jonouchi- And then, out of the blue, one of them punched me. I was going under a lot of stress at that moment, sleeping late to be able to study more. So I gave back the punch and I overdid a little. Some of them had to go to the hospital. One of them told the principal about it and… Here I am now.

They all remained silent for a bit after his explanation. Anzu didn't know what to say. After a moment, she opened her mouth:

-I'm sorry, Jonouchi… I shouldn't…

-Nah, It's okay. I have to accept it. And it's not that bad, this place suits me more. -He said, smiling lightly- I even made new friends.

Shizuka leaned her hand over his brother's, trying to comfort him. His eyes fixed on his drink, to not face anyone in particular. Ryuuji sighed, and tried to continue the conversation to move on and have the rest not too focused on Jonouchi.

-Well, in my case, my grades went down. I should have paid more attention, but it was a hard time back then.

-The same goes for me, though I never was a good student anyway. I didn't make it to Holo, I only managed to enter Foil School. -Said Honda, gazing at the ceiling.

Foil School was between Holo and Prism, not being the worst school from the city. After a moment, everyone looked at Yugi.

-You're the only one left. Wouldn't be quite fair if you just skipped the question, right? -Honda said.

Yugi thought about his answer for a moment.

-Grades. -He only said.

There was no way he was telling them more than that so soon. But they were satisfied with that answer, not asking any more questions. After remaining a while silent, not knowing exactly what to say, Shizuka was able to start a conversation, trying to distract everyone. They spent the rest of the afternoon having fun, until Shizuka looked at the time, saying:

-I should go back already…

Jonouchi's eyes showed a sparkle of sadness.

-Okay. We'll see each other again. -He said.

She nodded and hugged him.

-Take care, you guys. -Said Anzu.

The others answered and soon after the girls had already left. Jonouchi kept looking at them until he lost sight of them.

-Your sister is adorable. -Honda pointed out, catching the blond' attention.

-Well, yeah. She wouldn't look good next to you. -Jonouchi replied, folding his arms.

-What are you talking about? I would take care of her perfectly. -Guaranteed Honda.

-Jonouchi's right, it's better if you leave her to me. -Ryuuji joined in.

-The answer is "no" for both of you. -Said Jonouchi. Then he turned around to look at Yugi- But by the way, Anzu had her eyes on you all the day, huh?

Yugi shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't say that he hadn't notice it, but he didn't have any interest in her. The conversation leaded to another topic, while they were walking, and at a certain moment Ryuuji pointed at a TV in a shop's storefront, which was showing a commercial of Kaiba Corporation.

-It seems Kaiba has created a new card game that's turning out to be quite popular. It's called Duel Monsters. -He said.

-Well, not like I care about it. -Jonouchi looked away.

Yugi looked at the TV's screen, once again focusing on those catching blue eyes. "Defeating him in his own game has to be satisfying too" he thought. And so he started his plan.

During the following days he asked Ryuuji about the game, Duel Monsters. When the black-haired boy explained him everything he knew about it, Yugi started to look on stores for everything he needed to play. Having prepared a deck, he started to play with Ryuuji in the class breaks, trying to get better at it. In a short time he had already surpassed him, dominating the game without any difficulty.

Jonouchi approached them one day, curious about it.

-What does that game have that catches your attention this much? -He asked.

-It's a good game. -Replied Ryuuji- It's surprising that it was created by a guy our age. But being the brilliant student he is and the leader of a huge company, it isn't that strange.

Jonouchi rolled his eyes, annoyed to hear Ryuuji speak so well about Kaiba. From the first day he met him, he hadn't liked him at all. Despite that, he sat next to them, a little interested on the game. He started to ask some questions while the others were playing, and Ryuuji answered everything, smiling as he saw that Jonouchi's curiosity was growing. After all, the blond one loved games.

Next week, both Honda and Jonouchi were already playing the game, the four of them joining often to pass their time. Time passed quickly, and soon it had already been a month since they met. Yugi decided that he already mastered the game enough to start the idea he had on mind that Sunday.

 

* * *

 

He left his house in the afternoon, walking firmly towards the building of Kaiba Corporation. Some guards stopped him as he approached.

-Do you have business here? -Said one of them.

-I'd like to see Kaiba. -Yugi pressed his lips when he spoke, thinking that he'd never hear himself saying that- I have something to talk about with him.

The guards frowned. They obviously knew that Kaiba had no appointment that day. One of them took out a mobile phone to call Kaiba and explain him the situation. After a short conversation, and not very convinced, they told Yugi that he could pass. One of the guards accompanied him, and they kept walking towards the building until they reached Kaiba's office. In the way, Yugi didn't let any detail escape his eyes.

The guard knocked the door and opened it when he heard Kaiba's permission. Yugi entered and the guard closed the door behind him, leaving them alone. Kaiba had his eyes stuck on his computer screen, and a moment passed until he stopped typing on the keyboard and raised his eyes to look at Yugi, who approached to sit on a chair that was in front of the office desk.

-What are you doing here? -Said Kaiba.

-I came to offer you something. A game. -Yugi smiled.

As Kaiba was raising an eyebrow, Yugi took out a deck of cards from his pocket and put it on the table. Kaiba's expression didn't change.

-Duel Monsters. -Yugi said.

-So you've been playing at it. I don't have any problem in defeating you. -Kaiba's face twisted into a smirk.

-Lend me some of your time. -Whispered Yugi- It's Sunday, after all. Yugi's smile widened when he saw Kaiba getting up. He had won a chance to beat him and he wasn't going to waste it.

The brown-haired came back with a deck in his hands and sat back on the chair. They shuffled their decks and started playing. Kaiba had full confidence over himself, knowing he would win without any hard efforts. After all, he was the creator of the game. But to his surprise, Yugi played quite well, quickly gaining advantage. He noticed the card Kaiba cared the most because of the way he treated and talked about it, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He felt shivers running down his back at that, for a reason he couldn't explain. Kaiba frowned as they kept playing, the other boy showing clearly how skilled he was. And finally, Yugi won. Kaiba leaned on the backrest of his chair, surprised. He blinked twice and looked at his rival.

-When did you start playing? -He asked.

-Two weeks ago. -Yugi's satisfaction was all over his face.

He almost couldn't believe it. Yeah, he sure had practiced a lot, but actually winning felt so damn good. Seeing Kaiba try to hide his frustration was so pleasant.

-So, what do you think about Prism students now? -Yugi leaned forward, in a mocking way.

-They're still worthless. -Kaiba remained serious despite all- And it doesn't matter what you think, you won out of luck.

Yugi laughed, resting on the backrest.

-Oh, I should have thought about what a bad loser you would be. Face it, Kaiba. I'm not that bad. -He said, raising his eyebrows as his smile didn't fade away.

Kaiba wouldn't admit it, but he thought that maybe there was someone worth it on Prism School. Only one person, as far as he knew. He wouldn't never think good of that school, but maybe it could be an exception.

-Well, you had what you wanted. Now leave. -Kaiba ignored Yugi's words.

The other boy got up and leaned forward again, to reach for Kaiba's ear, and whispered:

-We can do this again whenever you want.

Kaiba frowned.Yugi chuckled as he started walking off, leaving the room raising his hand to wave it. When he closed the door behind him, Kaiba let out a sigh. "What's wrong with this idiot?" he thought. Soon afterwards, he was working on the computer again.

 

* * *

Bakura smiled as he approached Marik. He turned out to have joined the same classroom as the white-haired boy, and as he didn't know anyone else, they ended up being together many times, quickly becoming friends. This time they were exchanging class notes with each other, at the school library.

-Is there anything you don't understand? -He said.

-Oh, no, everything's fine. Your writing is so clear that it's easy to get everything right. -Marik smiled back at him, and then continued copying the notes to his notebook.

Bakura sat next to him.

-I'm glad to know it. -He said, as he looked at the notebooks.

They felt very comfortable with each other, and Marik really thanked having someone who would help him, being so lost in there. It was then when Bakura thought of an idea.

-Hey, Marik, what about we hang out next weekend? -He asked- I could show you the city. I bet you still haven't learned your way around.

-Oh, that's so nice of you! -Said Marik, eyes sparkling- Thank you! Bakura smiled again.

-Nothing to thank me for.

They continued working and lost track of time, being already late when they finished. They exited the building and Marik sighed.

-I would like to have a drink with you, but it's gotten dark already… -He said.

-Don't worry, next time we can go to a coffee shop or something. -Replied Bakura.

Marik smiled lightly and soon afterwards they were both walking towards their homes, in different directions. Talking to each other was getting very easy to do and comfortable, so they felt like they could become great friends.

Days passed, and finally the weekend arrived. Bakura had told him to meet him in front of the high school, since he didn't know which places he knew. He waited there, and Marik was there only five minutes later than the scheduled time. They both were wearing different clothes, not their school uniform. The white-haired boy smiled when he saw Marik.

-How are you? -He said.

-Oh, fine. -Marik smiled back- And you?

-Fine too.

First they decided to go to a coffee shop, as Bakura suggested the day they came to the library. There, the white-haired boy ordered tea, while Marik preferred some coffee.

-So, does the city has a lot of things to be seen? -Asked Marik.

-Of course. It's kind of a big city. I'm sure you'll like it. -Replied Bakura.

Marik was very excited to see what the city looked like, as the few weeks he had been there he had to deal with family stuff and had little time of his own. That day was surely going to be fun. They chatted a little as they drank, and when they finished they left immediately, with an impatient Marik.

Then, they started to walk. Bakura had thought of the best places to show him, so he guided him through the city, explaining everything they were seeing. Marik showed excitement over every little thing, which always made Bakura smile. The weather was kind of cold that day, as winter was approaching, but they managed to see all the things Bakura had planned.

When the afternoon was ending, Bakura took him to a tower where they could see almost all the city from. Marik ran to grab the railing and lean forward.

-Wow! This is so beautiful! -He said, eyes twinkling.

-Yes, our city is beautiful. -Agreed Bakura. Marik smiled and looked at Bakura.

They stood there for a while, the foreign one commenting all the places they had visited that he could see from there, and Bakura smiling at that. Then, suddenly, it started raining. Marik looked at the sky, as the balcony didn't had a ceiling. They both went back to the inside of the tower. No other person was there at that time. They looked as the rain fall, and Marik whispered:

-We should get back. We could catch a cold if we stay out with this weather.

Bakura only nodded. Winter was arriving fast, that was clear. And with his eyes still fixed at the city view they had in front of them, they couldn't feel that they were holding each other's hand.


	3. Tests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for keep reading this story!  
> I know it looks like things are going kind of slow (specially in this chapter) but I have to get everything where I want to.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 03: Tests

 

Kaiba spent the next days focused on trying to see why he had lost the duel between him and Yugi. He knew he was the best at that game, so what could have make him lost to a beginner? It pissed him off, even though he wouldn't dare to show it. Someone knocked at the door, and he made a small noise to let them know they could come in, too focused on his computer screen. Mokuba stepped in, a small smile in his lips.

-Big brother, you should take a rest. -He said- You've been working all day… Plus, exams are starting this week, right?

Kaiba nodded, as he looked at him.

-Well, yes, but I don't have any problem with that. I know I'll pass. -He replied.

-I also know that. You're so intelligent. -Mokuba approached him to hug him- But rest is important, or you won't be able to focus on.

Kaiba patted his head gently. That relaxed his brother, who closed his eyes, happy.

-Who was the boy that came in some days ago? -Asked the little boy.

The question had been floating in his mind lately, but he didn't want to bother his brother with meaningless stuff. But since Seto was being that kind with him that day, he thought it was a good moment to ask about it.

-Oh, just a Prism school student. Don't worry about it. -Replied Kaiba.

-A Prism one? I didn't know you had friends in there. -Mokuba tilted his head, looking at his brother.

-He's not my friend. -Kaiba frowned lightly- We met casually and that's all.

After chatting for a while, Mokuba left the room, not wanting to bother any more his big brother. Kaiba let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “Maybe he’s right, I should rest a little” he thought.

 

* * *

 

Tension because of the exam was spreading through all the class, especially for the new students. Marik and Bakura sat down next to one of the tables at the end of the classroom when the break arrived. The dark-skinned one let himself fall to the table, exhausted.

-I’ve been so stressed these days studying… -He said, sighing.

Bakura looked at him and pressed his lips, worried.

-Try to stay calm. You’ll do fine, you’ve put a lot of effort. –He tried to cheer him up, putting a smile on his lips.

Marik tilted his head, not very convinced. As far as he had noticed in the classroom, that seemed harder than what he first thought. Teachers kept reminding the students about the upcoming test, telling them not to relax just because it was the first one of the year, or that they’ll end up getting surprised. The students around him only showed growing tension, which made Marik think that maybe he wasn’t good enough for it.

 

Near them they were Anzu and Shizuka, talking about the same topic as them.

-Do you have the test well prepared? –Asked the one with shorter hair.

-Yes, enough. I’m already used to this. –Replied Shizuka.

-The same goes for me. –Anzu smiled, a bit sad- I’m worried for the guys.

Shizuka understood she was talking about Jonouchi and the others.

-Yeah… -She said, also worried.

The break ended soon, and everyone went back to their seats. Pegasus entered the classroom, with a smile on his lips.

-I guess you’re all handling well your studies? –He said.

The students answered at one time, and the lesson begun.

 

* * *

 

Jonouchi fell to the chair, sighing. The first test of the Prism School had already ended. He had put some effort into it, thinking that maybe he would be able to come back to Holo, cheering up with the thought that his sister would be waiting for him there, but as he already knew, it wasn’t that easy.

Honda made a gesture with his hand when the blond boy asked him how the test went.

-You already know that I gave up with all of this. –He said.

Indeed. Honda had started to work part-time that year, delivering pizzas. Obviously that wasn’t good enough, but it showed that his interest for studying left him long ago. Ryuuji, who was sitting next to him, smiled sarcastically when he heard that.

-You should give it a try. If you study seriously, it isn’t that hard. –He commented.

Ryuuji wanted to go back to Holo, and the truth was that he was really trying hard to do so. Honda shrugged his shoulders, keeping indifferent. Then all their looks turned to Yugi.

-How did your test go, Yugi? –Asked Jonouchi.

-It could have been worse. –He replied.

A small smirk appeared on Jonouchi’s lips. He got up from the chair jumping, excited.

-Okay, guys, let’s go have some fun after classes. –He said.

The others smiled, and they did so.

They left the school building and after buying some sodas in a supermarket, they started walking towards a recreational room. Honda and Jonouchi started running to play something together, while Ryuuji preferred to walk watching the different games that they were. Yugi decided to go with the black-haired boy. They remained silent for a while, but Ryuuji started a conversation:

-So, how did your duel with Kaiba go?

Yugi looked at him, surprised.

-You noticed? –He asked.

-It was quite obvious. –Ryuuji let out a chuckle.

Yugi smirked when he heard that.

-It went smoothly. I won. –He said.

Now it was Ryuuji the one surprised.

-You won?! You defeated the creator of the game… -He said, puzzled.

-He may be the creator, but he’s not perfect. –Commented Yugi.

-I’m sure that if he could hear you know he wouldn’t let you go without a fight. –Ryuuji laughed.

They continued walking, Ryuuji talking about the games they were seeing, knowing every one of them pretty well, which caught Yugi’s attention.

-How is it that you know so much about this? –He asked.

A shy smile appeared on Ryuuji’s lips.

-Well… it’s my hobby. –He said. Then he scratched the back of his head- Truth is I wanted to keep on studying and be able to create my own game… but it seems that it’s something impossible for me.

A sparkle of admiration showed on Yugi’s eyes. He wasn’t the kind of boy that praised other people dreams, but Ryuuji had helped him and he had found on him a nice and interesting boy.

-I’m sure it’s not impossible. –He said- Good luck with it, Otogi.

-Thanks. –Ryuuji smiled.

Honda and Jonouchi called them, impatient when they saw that they hadn’t touched any game yet. They both sighed and approached them.

 

* * *

 

The class bell rang, and Marik sighed deep. Bakura chuckled and approached him.

-So? How did your first test go? –He asked.

-I think I did well. –Replied Marik, scratching the back of his head- I hope so, at least.

-I’m sure you did.

They both started walking, leaving the school building.

-Do you have any plans today? –Asked Marik.

-Well, not really. What, want to visit the city again? –Bakura smiled.

-Yes! It’s truly beautiful. And I don’t feel like going alone. –Marik said.

Bakura felt happy next to that boy. It was hard for him to make friends in the school, since everyone cared only for their own business. But Marik was a kind guy, very friendly and entertaining. They were talking about where they could go, when Marik’s phone rang.

-Wait a minute. –He said to the white-haired boy. He then picked up the phone- Hi. Rishid, is it you?

Bakura looked to the ground as he heard his friend talking.

-Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just finished a test. –He laughed- Yeah. You don’t have to worry.

A few minutes later, he was done talking, hanging up. He looked at Bakura.

-Sorry about that.

-Oh, no, it’s okay! –Bakura smiled- Who was it?

-My brother. –Marik smiled back, happy- He lives in Egypt, where I come from. We haven’t talked a lot since I came here, so he’s kind of worried.

Bakura was glad to hear about his family. Since Marik arrived, he hadn’t really talked that much about himself, and he had got curious.

-What is he like?

-He’s… very nice. The best brother. He’s really caring. –He replied- I also got a sister. She’s also lovely. What about you?

-I don’t have any brothers nor sisters. –Bakura shrugged his shoulders.

He had felt lonely many times, but now it was okay, since he had made a good friend.

-Oh… I’m sorry about it. –Marik looked worried.

-It’s okay! I don’t think about it a lot. –Said Bakura- So… still up for hanging out?

Marik smiled.

-Of course!

 

* * *

 

It was nighttime, and Ryuuji was walking down the street, ready to come back home. The afternoon with the guys had been quite fun, but now he felt very tired, with the test and all. It had been a long day. He put his hands in his pockets, thinking. It was the first time he had a group of friends, and he felt like they were the funniest persons on earth. He liked to spend time with them, feeling good whenever they were all together. When he started going to Prism school, he had been very depressed, being in a school like that and forcing himself to think that his dreams and goals weren’t for him. But when he met the guys, they made him forget all about it, and regain hope. He smiled to himself as he continued walking.

Suddenly, he heard some voices and footsteps quickly approaching him from behind. He turned around, curious. Then, a group of guys grabbed him, covering his mouth and taking him to an alley. He managed to push them, and then looked at them, confused. They were from his high school… he had seen them some times.

-…What are you doing? –He said, frowning.

They were four of them. He remained tense, paying attention to their moves. One of them started to talk:

-Hi there, Ryuuji. We hope you had a nice day, because now we’re gonna fuck it up a little.

-What are you planning? –Said Ryuuji.

-Just to cause some trouble here. –Replied the boy, raising his eyebrows mockingly.

Ryuuji waited for some explanation. The guy sighed, one hand over his hips.

-Look, we don’t like you at all. You shouldn’t be in Prism, you’re just like that Holo trash. –He said.

-Why are they trash?

-They look down on us just because they’re intelligent. I bet you too. –He explained.

-Not everyone looks down on you. And I certainly don’t. –Ryuuji replied.

-Oh, come on. Don’t give us that crap. And now let’s get started. –He said, making a gesture to the others.

They were only the kind of people of his school: lovers of trouble, without a real reason to hurt people, just making it to enjoy themselves. Ryuuji looked around to think how he could get away quickly, without causing problems. One of them approached the black-haired guy, who tried to step back, but he wasn’t strong enough to avoid the grip of the other boy. Then, he punched him. Ryuuji fell to the ground, eyes widely open. He touched his nose, feeling blood. He looked at the guy, who got closer to him to punch him again. Ryuuji tried to defend himself, but the other guys took action too, and there was nothing he could do to avoid being beaten up. The boy who talked was laughing behind them.

-Oh, Ryuuji, if you could see how beautiful you look now, you’d fall in love with yourself. ‘Cause your bi, right? –He said, mockingly.

Ryuuji frowned. He’s mind was dizzy, his stomach hurt. How had he got into that? What did he do wrong?

The noise of a motorcycle made the guys freeze. Somebody riding it stopped in front of the alley, giving some light to the place. Ryuuji turned his head to look. The guys stopped, surprised.

-What the hell are you doing? –The voice was known to Ryuuji.

The black-haired guy felt suddenly calm.

-Honda… -He whispered.

The boys released Ryuuji, looking at Honda.

-Don’t dare to continue. –He said, approaching them- I’m calling the police.

The others remained silent for a moment, thinking about how to get out of that. Then, the one who seemed to be the leader clicked his tongue and started walking.

-…Whatever. –He said.

A few minutes later they were nowhere to be seen. Honda sighed in relief and then approached the guy who was sitting on the ground.

-Are you okay, Ryuuji? –He said, helping him to get up.

-Not really… -He mumbled- Thank you.

-You don’t have to thank me. –Honda took a look at his face. It had some blues and swelling, as well as some blood stains- Man…

It all happened in a few moments, but Ryuuji could still feel his body cold and trembling. Honda carried him to his motorcycle.

-I think they… might know where I live… -Said Ryuuji, in a low voice.

Honda hopped onto the bike and sighed.

-I’ll take you to my place. –He said- Damn, you’re lucky this is my way back home from work…

Ryuuji grabbed Honda’s waist, silent. His mind was still confused. Honda started riding, also quiet. He didn’t want to bother his friend. When they arrived home, Honda made him seat on the couch and brought him some hot chocolate. Then, he started taking care of his injures.

-Why did they do this? –He asked.

-…Out of fun. –Replied Ryuuji.

Honda pressed his lips, angry. He knew Ryuuji wasn’t the strong guy kind, so he knew they had picked on him because of that. He wished he had arrived sooner…

-Well, stay here some days. We don’t know if they might attack you again, and if they really know where you live it’d be dangerous for you to go there all alone. Stay here until things calm down. –Said Honda.

Ryuuji looked at him.

-…Thank you. –He said.

-I’ve already told you, don’t thank me! This is what friends do.

He sat next to him, sneaking a peek at him.

-…Please, don’t tell the others about this. I don’t want to worry anyone else. –Ryuuji’s gaze was fixed on the cup of chocolate.

-…Okay.

After finishing the drink, Honda went to take the cup to the kitchen and clean it. When he came back, Ryuuji had fell asleep, still sitting on the couch. Honda sighed, feeling bad for him, and approached him.

-…Rest well. –He whispered.

 


	4. Entertainments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four is here! Thanks for sticking with me! 
> 
> I hope you like the episoode!

Episode 04: Entertainments

 

Ryuuji's head was spinning when he woke up. He sat on the couch, expecting to be at his own house. But the memories of what happened last night came back to his mind, and he pressed his lips, remembering he was in Honda's apartment. He thought about getting up to thank him, but he heard his voice, making him to stay there, sitting.

-Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?

Ryuuji smiled at those words, starting to calm down. He got up, but the next words made him stop:

-You know, I was wondering if we could see each other… As friends, of course!

The black-haired guy stood there, listening, quite disappointed. Honda came into the living room, and Ryuuji made an effort to hide his sad expression to smile at him. Honda was talking through the phone to Shizuka. Ryuuji held in a sigh. A few moments later, the brown-haired guy had already hung up. He looked at his friend with a smile on his face.

-You're awake! How are you feeling? Any better? -He said, approaching him.

-Yeah, I'm alright. Nothing serious. -Ryuuji avoided his gaze, but smiled.

-Well, wait here, I'm going to make you something to eat. -Honda rushed into the kitchen.

Then, Ryuuji sighed. He checked the time. It was weekend, so there was nothing wrong in sleeping a lot, but it felt bad to sleep so much in someone else's house. Even if he had offered him to stay in there. At first he thought of agreeing to his suggestion, but he was starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. When Honda came back, he told him about that, making the other guy to stare at him with surprise.

-What are you saying? You can't go home now! -He replied.

-But I'll cause you trouble… -Said Ryuuji.

-You won't! We're friends and this is something I have to do! -Honda didn't let him answer. He handed him the breakfast- Come on, eat. You need to.

Ryuuji picked up the plate, remaining silent. Honda sighed.

-I'm going to buy some things I need. Stay here and rest. -He said, getting up.

Ryuuji was going to say something, not really wanting to stay alone so soon, but he forced himself to simply nod. Honda left, and Ryuuji ate the rest of his breakfast in silence.

 

* * *

 

The weekend ended fast, and on Monday the students were given the results of the tests they had done. Bakura cheered Marik up when he went to pick up his exam, and he came back to his seat with a smile of relief in his face.

-I passed! -He said, happy.

-Good! I knew you could do it! -Bakura smiled back.

Of course, the white-haired guy also passed. He wasn't the best student in the class, since that was Seto Kaiba, but he was still pretty intelligent and hadn't failed a test since he entered the Holo school. After giving all the tests back, Pegasus cleared his throat, having a message to tell to his students.

-Next week starts the winter holidays. As you know, our school organizes a trip, right before the city's festivities. And this year, we'll be going to the trip along with Prism school. -He said.

All the class let out words of disagreement. Kaiba frowned when he heard those words. That meant he was going to run onto Yugi again… Pegasus clapped his hands to silence the class.

-Come on, guys. You're not kids anymore. I think we all can handle a trip without any problems. This way is cheaper for everyone, and it's the first time in years they have saved enough to participate in a trip.

"They don't even deserve a school trip with the students they have…" Kaiba rolled his eyes at Pegasus' words.

-Where are we going? -Asked a student.

-Since its winter, we're going to a mountain. We'll do snow activities, as skiing and that. -Explained Pegasus.

The class mood seemed to lift up a bit.

-It looks so interesting…! I have never seen snow before! -Said Marik, eyes sparkling.

-I'm sure you'll love it. -Bakura smiled.

-Anyways, it's next week, so keep on focused on the classes. -With this, Pegasus ended the lesson.

Kaiba sighed. He was starting to feel kind of nervous to meet Yugi again. He wasn't going to let him get away after making a fool out of him. He got up and left the class, his limousine already waiting for him outside.

 

* * *

 

Things were a bit different in Prism school. The news about the test weren't good for them. Jonouchi leaned back on his chair, sighing.

-Why do I even try…? -He said, sighing.

Honda approached him from behind, taking a look to his results.

-So in the end you failed, huh? -He said.

Jonouchi looked at him, annoyed.

-Shut up! I studied for this, okay?! -He was close to shouting.

Yugi and Ryuuji approached them. The black-haired boy was going to class already, since he had all the weekend to recover, and kept what happened a secret to the others.

-I guess you guys passed? -Said Jonouchi, rolling his eyes.

-I managed to. -Ryuuji smiled, showing his test.

He had passed only by a few marks. Yugi showed his. He had got a good score. Jonouchi's eyes almost fell.

-You're a lucky guy, huh… -He mumbled.

-Not lucky, just intelligent. -Yugi teased him, smiling.

-That's not funny… -Jonouchi frowned.

Then, the news about the trip were also told there. When Mai said they were going to a school trip, the class almost went crazy. She sighed. If she could have made the decision, she wouldn't be taking them to any trip. Since the year had started, she had found it difficult to explain the lessons in that high school.

-We'll be going with Holo school. -She said.

When she announced that, the mood of the class suddenly changed. She expected that, of course, since they hated each other so much.

-We have no choice in this. -She tried to shut them up, with no success.

-So with the Holo, huh…? -Whispered Ryuuji.

He was probably the one to take the news better than everyone else. Jonouchi almost jumped, an angry look in his face.

-What?! Does that mean I'll see that Kaiba dumbass?! -He said.

Yugi smiled when he heard those words. Yeah, he'll see Kaiba. It was hard to hide the excitement he had in that.

-Come on, Jonouchi, it's a school trip, not something you do every day, so try to forget about Kaiba for those days. -Honda sighed.

-How could I?! -Jonouchi pressed his teeth.

-But we still have a week before the trip starts. -Commented Ryuuji.

-Yeah… We could all go do something today after class… -Mumbled Jonouchi. After thinking for a bit, he smiled- What about coming to my place to watch a movie?

Everyone looked at him.

-That's a good idea! -Agreed Honda.

-I've never been to your place before… -Ryuuji smiled slightly.

-Okay, it'll be fun. -Said Yugi.

Jonouchi's smile widened and they set an hour to meet. When the classes ended, Honda and Ryuuji went back home together.

-…Well, it seems everything is going better. About you, I mean. -Said Honda, breaking the silence as they were walking.

-…Yeah. I have to thank you for that. -Replied Ryuuji. He chuckled a bit- Now you're always with me, and they don't dare to show up.

Honda shrugged his shoulders.

-Well, if that avoids you bullying, it's good. I can't let you alone with all that's happened.

The black-haired guy smiled.

-Thanks. It's really helpful. -He whispered.

He was really glad to have those friends. Before meeting them he wouldn't have been able to ask for help, and even now it was still a difficult thing to do. But after Honda coming out to help him, he felt like he should trust them a bit more. He felt supported for the first time.

 

* * *

 

Jonouchi opened the door of his apartment, letting everybody in. He was smiling, really looking forward to that afternoon.

-Is there anyone in here now? -Said Honda, being the last to walk into the living room.

-No. My father is usually out… -Jonouchi came to the kitchen to bring some drinks and snacks, leaving them on the table that was in the middle of the room.

-That means we have all the house for us! -Honda laughed, sitting on the couch, next to Ryuuji.

-What movie are we going to see? -Said Yugi, also sitting down.

-Oh, I chose a horror movie. -Jonouchi smirked- I thought it would be a good choice to watch that with friends.

Ryuuji sighed.

-What are we, kids? -He said.

-Don't be like that, we'll have a great time! -Jonouchi sat down, and started the movie.

Everyone remained quiet as the movie went on, with just a few comments between Honda and Jonouchi, as nothing really exciting happened at the beginning. Yugi didn't really care about the movie, but was feeling comfortable being in there. They started to eat the snacks while they watched the movie. Everything went out as normal until the first scary thing showed up. Jonouchi jump out, a bit surprised by the sudden scene. The others chuckled.

-So you're the one scared? -Said Yugi, mockingly.

-Shut up…! -Jonouchi rolled his eyes, a bit embarrassed, since no one else got startled by that scene.

But the next one, who had a persecution with an horrible laugh coming out from the pursuer, had both Jonouchi and Honda gasping. Ryuuji could have swore that he saw Jonouchi hiding his eyes to not look at the TV.

-You guys get surprised by such a cliché moment… -The black-haired guy laughed.

Honda and Jonouchi were really into the movie, getting shocked by every "frightening" scene, that only made laugh the other two boys. Yugi was trying to understand the story, since it had many plot holes and focused only in trying to scare with crappy effects. He certainly didn't like the movie, but he enjoyed Jonouchi and Honda's reactions. The movie continued, and nothing that could surprise the two calmed guys happened. There was one time when Ryuuji could feel that Honda was grabbing his arm, probably out of fear. He felt his body warming up with a comforting feeling. He didn't really care for the reason why Honda did that, he just wished that the moment could last for a bit. But he couldn’t avoid feeling a bit ashamed of his thoughts. When the snacks were finished, Yugi curled himself up on his seat, leaning back to get more comfortable.

As the movie was close to its climax, Ryuuji sighed.

-…The plot is so typical and dumb…

Indeed it was. The movie was about a serial killer pursuing people who had gone camping in a forest. It hadn't got anything else, but it still enjoyed them, mostly because of Honda and Jonouchi's reactions.

-But it's frightening! -Said Jonouchi.

Ryuuji smirked.

-It's not! You two are so sensitive!

-Shut up! -Honda frowned, not wanting to admit that it had actually shocked him.

The movie was over soon, and Jonouchi got up to outstretch his arms.

-Well… It wasn't a good movie, I recognize. -He said, laughing a bit.

-Next time you won't be the one choosing the movie. -Replied Honda.

-Nah. But anyways, we had fun. -Jonouchi said. Then he sighed- …I did this to try not to focus on the trip we're having next week, but… I'm too excited about it.

-Don't forget you'll see Kaiba there. -Ryuuji giggled.

-Don't remind me that! -The blond-haired guy frowned, a bit annoyed.

Yugi curved his lips into a small smirk when he heard Kaiba's name. He was also looking forward for the trip.

-I'm going to take things back to the kitchen. -Said Ryuuji, getting up and picking up the rest of the snacks.

-I'll help you. -Honda got up too, carrying the drinks.

Ryuuji looked at him, a bit surprised. The brown-haired boy glared at him.

-What? -He said.

Ryuuji shook his head.

-It's nothing. Let's go. -He replied, walking towards the kitchen.

Jonouchi watched them go, lost on his thoughts. When they arrived to the kitchen, Ryuuji turned around to face Honda.

-Give me the glasses. -He said, picking them and going to wash them in the water tap.

Honda was a bit puzzled to notice rudeness in Ryuuji's words.

-…Is everything alright, Ryuuji? -He asked, a bit worried.

The black-haired guy only nodded. Honda held in a sigh.

-You know you can tell me if something happens… -He continued.

-I'm okay, Honda. -Interrupted him Ryuuji- I really am.

Honda looked around, not knowing what to say. It was obvious that he wasn't okay, but he didn't want to talk. "He seemed to be alright before…" Honda thought. When Ryuuji finished, they went back immediately to the living room. Yugi got up from his seat.

-Well, I'll be going already. -He said.

Ryuuji and Honda also were leaving already, so they all got to the door. Jonouchi went to wave them off, and soon afterwards he was alone at home again.

 

* * *

 

Yugi arrived home late. He loved night walks. He liked the cold breeze of winter, and being alone on the streets. It refreshed his mind and let him think well. He removed his ponytail. He also liked tying up his hair, since he felt more comfortable that way. He checked the time and they let himself fall to the couch, picking his phone out of his pocket. He didn't have to think about the number he marked, having it all day in his mind. He waited patiently until they answered, and had to wait some more until he got to talk with the one he wanted to.

-Goodnight, Kaiba. -His voice came out like a purr.

The voice on the other side of the phone sounded as annoyed as always.

-What are you doing, calling me? -Kaiba replied.

-I wanted to hear your voice. -Yugi teased him, chuckling- How are you feeling after your defeat?

-I'm going to hang up. Kaiba didn't have any patience left.

It had been a busy day, with very few moments in the day to take a break, and now he was wasting his time talking to that idiot. Yugi sighed.

-Don't be like that. Let's chat for a little while. I guess you heard about the trip, right? -He said.

-…Yes. -Kaiba's voice sounded pissed off about that topic.

-I was thinking we could do some other game there too. -Offered Yugi, smirking to himself.

-What kind of game? -Kaiba frowned.

-Let's see who manages to make us give in to each other first. The one who falls first, loses. -He said, mysterious as always- What I mean is… who can be able to show his superiority to the other. We have all the trip to do so. Expose each other's weaknesses. Make him feel useless. Do you get me?

Kaiba laughed at his words.

-What are you talking about? Are you a masochist? -He said, not expecting an answer to that.

-I might be. -Whispered Yugi, joking- Anyways, do you accept the challenge? Kaiba sighed.

-Yeah. There's no chance I can lose to this, so yes. And I'll make you regret it. -He said, defiant.

Yugi closed his eyes, smirking.

-I like how that last sentence sounds. -He said, mockingly.

-You're so disgusting. -Kaiba grimaced- If that's all the crap you wanted to say, I'm hanging up. I don't want to waste my valuable time any longer.

-Okay. See you.

Yugi didn't get an answer to that. He heard Kaiba hanging up and laughed. Then he opened his eyes again, smiling. "It's so funny to make fun out of him… He loses his nerves too easily" he thought. And without noticing it, he ended up falling asleep there, in the couch.


	5. Start of the trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their school trip is starting! This will help some pairings to get closer~
> 
> Hope you like the episode, and thank you for keep reading this story!

Episode 05: Start of the trip

 

Honda closed the door behind him, and Ryuuji walked inside without looking at him, going towards the kitchen. Honda was about to ask him what was wrong, but he knew he wasn’t going to get a different answer. He sighed. Ryuuji came back to the living room with a sandwich, and sat on the couch.

-Right after we come back from the trip, I’ll go back to my apartment. –He said.

-What? –Honda looked at him, eyes widely open- Isn’t it… too soon?

Ryuuji waved his head.

-I don’t think so. During the trip I’ll be with all of you. Two weeks without being bothered should be enough time to make them forget about it.

Honda sat next to him, still worried.

-But it won’t hurt to stay a bit longer, just to make sure… -He said.

Ryuuji looked away. “It will” he thought. He continued to eat the sandwich, not answering Honda’s words.

-By the way, you should take care about your health. Almost everything you have in the kitchen is junk food. –Ryuuji said, changing the topic.

Honda pressed his lips.

-Well, I don’t really know how to cook… Just the basics. –He replied.

Ryuuji smiled.

-I could teach you.

-Will you? –Honda’s eyes regained a bit of the sparkle they usually had, having his mood lighten up.

The black-haired guy laughed.

-We still have a whole week, right? –He said, looking at his friend.

Honda nodded, happy with that. Ryuuji was a very good guy, but he often seemed to be lonely. He didn’t want him to feel bad, since he really cared about his friends. It was the first time he managed to make true friends… and he wasn’t going to let anyone or anything hurt them. So it really felt good to see Ryuuji cheerful again.

-Let’s get to it right now! –Honda got up with a jump, a big smile on his lips.

Ryuuji blinked twice.

-…Right now? –He finished his sandwich quickly.

-Yes! I’m feeling like doing it. I’m full of energy! –Honda chuckled, walking towards the kitchen.

Ryuuji sighed, smiling again, and also got up. “He’s such a nice guy” he thought, following him.

 

* * *

 

Marik and Bakura went out for a walk. They had been going out a lot for the last weeks. They enjoyed each other’s presence and had fun, so they spent many time together. Marik was having a hot take away coffee, and they both had scarfs wrapped around their necks.

-It’s been getting really cold lately… -He commented.

-Yes. Well, since we’re going to a mountain for the trip, it’s a good thing. –Said Bakura.

-Yeah. I’m really excited about that! –Marik smiled.

They were walking without having a specific place to go, so their steps were a bit slow. Marik took another sip of the coffee and then said:

-I forgot to tell you about this. My brother, Rishid, is coming here in holidays.

Bakura blinked twice, surprised.

-Wow, those are good news! –He replied.

-Yup! He’s going to come right after our trip. Do you want to meet him? –Marik looked at his friend.

-Yes, I’d love to. –Bakura smiled.

Marik nodded out of satisfaction. He really liked his brother, and also Bakura, so he wanted to pass the holidays with the both of them. He had felt a bit lonely when he had arrived, and had been really afraid that he couldn’t be able to make any friends once he got in there, but things had come out pretty good. Having Bakura as a friend, he knew he wouldn’t feel lonely anymore. Moreover if Rishid also came.

Bakura looked at him. He was also glad to have him as a friend, since he was the shy kind of boy, and didn't have any friends in class. Now he had someone he could be with everyday.

-I was thinking I could take you somewhere to eat traditional japanese food. -He said- I bet you haven't tried a lot of it yet.

Marik also smiled, excited at that idea.

-Yeah, let's go! I haven't really got out to eat things, cooking simple things for myself. I want to eat all kinds of ramen! -He replied.

Bakura chuckled.

-Well, we can't eat all of them in a day, but I'll take you to a good place.

Marik started talking about how much he loved the culture of Japan, while they were walking towards a ramen restaurant. The waiter greeted Bakura cheerfully.

-Do you usually come here? -Said Marik, sitting on the chair of the table they assigned them to.

-Yes, they all know me already. -Bakura chuckled. Then, he handed his friend the menu list- Choose whatever you want, I'm paying.

-What? You don't have to!

-But I want to. Don't worry. -The white-haired boy grinned.

Marik smiled shyly and then looked at the menu. He chose a shoyu ramen and they chatted a bit before their orders arrived.

-I love the scent of this place. I like ramen so much! -Said Marik, smiling widely.

-So you've already tried it? -Bakura asked.

-I only tried the supermarket packs. I made them at home. -Marik scratched the back of his head, followed by a short laugh.

Bakura smiled.

-Well, then you're going to love this. -He said.

Marik nodded, being sure of it. The food arrived, and when Marik started eating he couldn't stop.

-This is delicious!

Bakura looked at him before starting to eat his own ramen. He was thinking about Rishid. "I don't know if Marik's going to stay here for long... but it would be a good thing if he could stay more than just a year" he thought. He was getting along well with him, and until that day, when Marik told him that Rishid was coming on holidays, he didn't think that maybe Marik was only going to stay there for that year. He really wanted the time with him to last longer.

Marik quickly finished his bowl, licking the sides of his lips.

-Wow... I could eat a second one. -He chuckled.

When Bakura also had finished, they got up and left the restaurant.

-Thanks for bringing me here! -Said Marik, looking at his friend.

-It's nothing. We can come back whenever you want.

-Great! -Marik smiled- Now I should get going. See you tomorrow at school!

Bakura waved him off, and soon after Marik was nowhere to be seen. The white-haired boy sighed, and then headed back home, lost in his thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Jonouchi finished preparing himself, and he checked his clothes out in the mirror before leaving his apartment. It was the first time they called him for a work interview, and he was very nervous. It was only a part-time job, he was still excited about it. He had waited months for someone who got interested in him, and they finally called him that day. It was a pub, and the owner wanted to talk to him personally. He was almost running when he got through the streets to arrive in time to the pub. There, he waited until his breath calmed down before stepping in.

The owner came up to him and Jonouchi followed him to another room. They sat down, face to face, and Jonouchi was tense, with his eyes fixed on the owner. After a short moment of looking at each other, the owner begun to talk:

-Your name is Jonouchi Katsuya. Do you have any experience working before?

-Yes. -Jonouchi tried to look as serious as he could- I've worked in a restaurant, as a waiter.

-That's good. It's a job that is similar to this one. -Replied the older man- Why did you stop working there?

-I needed to focus on studying. -With this, Jonouchi's gaze fixed on the floor, afraid of hearing the next question.

-Are you saying you won't focus on that now?

-It's not that! It's just that... the schoolyear seems to be easier... -He mumbled.

The owner raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

-I... I really need to save money. -He said, lowering his head a bit.

Since his father wasn't at home a lot, he had to pay for the most of the bills. His father usually left some money at home, but lately he could hardly pay everything and have money to eat decent meals. He needed a work, and he finally had a chance to get one.

The owner sighed deeply and then handed him some documents.

-Read everything and, if you're okay with the terms, I can give you a trial time. -He said.

Jonouchi felt that the excitement was going to burst out of his chest. He grabbed the documents with a big smile on his face.

-Thank you so much! -He said.

After he read everything, he signed the papers and then left. He would start working when he came back from the trip. He started walking down the streets, with the smile still on his lips. He almost couldn't believe it. "Maybe I touched his feelings" he thought, with a small chuckle. Anyways, he was glad he could start working again. He hated having to depend on his father. And he didn't have any hopes in coming back to Holo school, so that was the best decision... Just like Honda, working at night-time. But he was okay with it. That way, he could continue to hang out with his friends on the afternoons. He came back home whistling.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the week passed quickly, as nothing really interesting happened in the meantime. Holo students were busy with homework and subjects to study, as they would have a test right when they came back from the holidays. The Prism ones spent the rest of the time like they always did, ending the patience of every teacher. The weather was getting colder as they days passed, but it didn't stop anyone to look forward to the trip.

And so, on one specially cold morning, the students of the last year of high school of both schools got reunited in front of some buses. The teachers were trying to control their respective groups, but the only one who had a hard time with that was Mai. When everyone got in the buses, the travel started. They managed to get everyone without fights between the students. It was going to be a hard trip, but if they succeeded, both schools would be at better terms.

Honda, Jonouchi, Ryuuji and Yugi were sitting at the end of the Prism school bus. Ryuuji had brought some videogames and consoles, so they spent most of the time playing. Jonouchi, always losing, got bored of it quickly, and just watched the rest play, even more excited than them.

-Yugi, you're too good at this. -Pointed out Ryuuji when he got beat by him again.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders.

-I'm not sorry, Ryuuji. -He said, with a smirk on his lips.

Honda sighed.

-What's the point in trying...

-That's why I got bored. -Jonouchi rolled his eyes.

Everyone laughed at that.

The travel lasted an hour, and passed fast to them. When they got out of the bus, they were in front of some bungalows. Mai stopped in front of the Prism students.

-The bungalows are of four persons. We can't mix Holo with Prism, so choose your partners and we'll distribute the bungalows. -She said.

The Prism students were so excited about the trip that they didn't give any more troubles to Mai. Everyone got their rooms quickly. Jonouchi, Honda, Ryuuji and Yugi shared a bungalow. It was composed by a living-kitchen room and another room that lead to the bathroom on the first floor, and walking through the stairs was the bedroom, just a single room where the four beds where. They put their baggages next to their beds.

-Finally here! -Said Jonouchi, with a sigh of relief.

-Yeah. I hope we'll do interesting activities. -Commented Ryuuji.

-I just hope they won't force us to stick too much with the Holo students... -Honda scratched the back of his head, a bit worried.

He didn't want any trouble in his first trip with his new friends. No one did.

-Well, let's go outside. Mai told us to reunite again after leaving everything here. -Said Yugi.

The others nodded and they all exited the bungalow. The Holo students were already there, standing still, with Pegasus in front of them. The teachers were waiting for the rest of Prism students to start talking about what they were going to do. Yugi looked around for Kaiba, and a small smirk appeared on his lips when he saw him. "Our game starts today" he thought, more excited about that than about the trip.

Jonouchi clapped his back softly.

-Hey, Yug, you've been very quiet all the time. Everything's okay? -He asked.

-Oh, yeah. Just wondering if everyone was already here. -He replied, smiling.

In a few minutes all was ready. Mai and Pegasus started explaining that they were going to just have a walk through the mountain, since it was the first day. They told them that the next days they could do ski and snowboard, but that day was going to be a bit more relaxing.

They started walking, each group following their teacher. Honda, Jonouchi and Ryuuji were talking, but Yugi was silent, peeking at Kaiba from time to time. But the rich boy didn't look back at him, not a single time. Yugi held in a sigh. Maybe he was pretending things to be too rushed.

Marik had an incredible strength and excitement that made him walk fast. His eyes were almost shining. Bakura looked at him.

-You look like your chest is going to burst. -He commented.

Marik smiled widely.

-This is going to be so good! We can finally have a break from studying! -He replied.

-Well, yes, as long as we don't have any trouble with Prism students... -Bakura mumbled.

Marik looked back at him.

-I don't think so. No one wants to have their trip wasted. -He said.

Bakura shrugged his shoulders.

-Maybe, but our relationship with them is hard, you know. Though I'd like we could all be friends.

-Yeah... -Marik nodded- But it doesn't look like it's going to be possible anytime soon.

The white-haired boy sighed.

After a few hours, they went back to the bungalows, and the teachers told them they could have the rest of the night free, but that they should get to their bungalows soon if they wanted to rest, since they had to wake up soon the next day. Many of the Holo students did so, but all of the Prism stayed out.

Jonouchi, Honda and Ryuuji were talking together, and Yugi tried to follow up the conversation, but got distracted when he heard some steps behind him. He turned around, and Kaiba was there. When their eyes met, Yugi closed his fists tight. Jonouchi frowned when he noticed him.

-Kaiba...! Get lost! -He said.

-Don't be rude, Jonouchi... He didn't say anything. -Ryuuji looked at him and sighed- Let's try to have a nice time at the trip.

Jonouchi held in his words, still annoyed by Kaiba's presence. But the boy wasn't paying attention to him. It seemed like Yugi and the brown-haired boy were almost having a mental conversation, by all the time they stood there, silent, looking at each other. But Kaiba ended up turning around and continued walking his way. "I hope you didn't forget our promise..." thought Yugi, "but I guess there's no way you could".

The day quickly ended, with everyone looking forward to the activities of the next day. It was going to be an intense trip...


	6. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is a bit late, but I hope you all enjoy it! As always, thanks for reading this story!

Episode 06: Snow

 

Everyone gathered outside of the bungalows, wearing warming clothes, since it had started snowing. Marik opened his eyes widely in surprise.

-Snow! -He said, stretching out his arms.

Bakura chuckled.

-True, it's the first time you see it.

-It's so beautiful! -Marik smiled.

After waiting for everyone to come there, the teachers told them about the activity they would be doing that morning. They'd go ski and snowboard. They got divided in two groups and started walking.

-Wow, I've never done ski before… -Said Honda, scratching the back of his head.

-Me neither! But it won't be that hard, right? -Jonouchi added, with a big smile.

Ryuuji chuckled when he heard that.

-Well, you guys will see. It isn't easy at all.

-You did ski?! -Jonouchi opened his eyes widely, surprised, while he looked at the black-haired guy.

-Of course! -Ryuuji winked.

-I guess they're a lot of people here who never had a chance of doing this kind of trip. -Said Yugi. Then, he shrugged his shoulders- Me neither.

One of the reasons there were so many Prism students was also because they didn't have money to pay for the Foil school, never dreaming of being able to pay for the Holo one. Grades were one thing, but if you didn't have money to pay your studies, then you also ended up in there. But that trip was an unexpected exception.

Yugi peeked at Kaiba and smiled to himself. He had done that countless times since the trip begun, and he didn't get tired of it.

-Hey, by the way, where's your sister? And Anzu? -Said Honda, looking around for the girls- If they are in Holo School, they should be here!

-They got sick right before the trip started! -Jonouchi let out a heavy sigh- Can you believe it?

Honda was going to say something, as he was disappointed, but Ryuuji was faster:

-They get these kind of trips frequently, so it shouldn't be bad news to them.

-But it was a chance to be all of us together! -Replied Jonouchi, frowning.

Ryuuji giggled. To be honest, it was better that way for him. He didn't know when exactly he had begun to think that way.

They soon reached the place where they were going to do ski. It had a station where they could get all the things necessary for the activity. The teachers guided them and they all were quickly ready for it.

-Let's go! -Said Jonouchi, excited, being the first one to put the skis on.

But he was very bad at it. He didn't stop falling, as soon as he started walking. His friends couldn't help but laugh at him. Jonouchi pointed at Honda.

-Come on, try! I'm sure you'll be as bad as me!

Honda smirked and answered him defiantly, but he also ended up rolling in the snow. Ryuuji came quickly up to him and helped him to get up again.

-Want me to teach you? -He said.

He tried to make it sound like he was mocking him, but deep down he wanted him to accept. And he did.

-Yes, please! I don't want to be like Jonouchi. -Answered Honda, laughing.

-You jerk! -Jonouchi shouted.

Yugi rolled his eyes at the scene.

-Come on, Jonouchi, let's get you a snowboard. -He said.

Ryuuji looked at them, a bit surprised, but Yugi only winked at him, silently wishing him good luck. Then, he went with Jonouchi to change his activity.

-Skiing is boring! -Said the blond guy, picking up a snowboard.

-Just because you're bad at it. -Chuckled Yugi.

-Shut up… -Jonouchi frowned at him, annoyed that everyone made fun out of him.

But he was way better at that. The snowboard was like his feet. He quickly mastered it, making amazing jumps, and he couldn't stop letting out shouts of excitement.

-This IS great! -He said, landing on the snow with a big grin on his face.

Yugi rolled his eyes, smiling. Then, casually Kaiba stopped next to them. He had been skiing, but he needed a break to catch his breath. Yugi and Jonouchi turned around to look at him.

-Ah, it's Kaiba! -The blond guy pointed at him, frowning.

Yugi tried to hide the smile of satisfaction that started to appear on his lips.

-Hello, Kaiba. -He said.

The CEO looked at them, also frowning. He wasn't pleased to see them at all.

-Looks like I went the wrong way. -He replied.

-What do you mean by that?! -Jonouchi's patience was already wasted. He was very short-tempered.

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders.

-You're really an idiot if you get angry by such small things.

-I swear, I'm going to… -Jonouchi bit his lip, not wanting to start a fight in there.

After all, fights had taught him a few lessons. He didn't want to get into trouble.

-Are you enjoying the trip, rich guy? -Said Yugi, mocking him.

Kaiba frowned again.

-It would be better if I wasn't sharing my space with some assholes. -He said.

-Who's the asshole… -Mumbled Jonouchi, folding his arms- Yugi, don't waste your time with him. Let's go.

Jonouchi turned around to ignore the brown-haired guy, but Yugi stood there for a few moments.

-Does sharing the space with the guy who beat you make you feel worthless? -Yugi talked so just Kaiba could hear him.

-Did your stupid game start already? -Kaiba's words were as cold as usual- I'd never feel worthless because of you. Keep dreaming, loser.

-But I'm not the one who lost at our duel. -Yugi smirked- And I'm still a beginner at that game.

-That won't happen ever again. -Kaiba turned around, ready to leave.

Yugi's smile grew bigger, pleased with his reaction.

-You can always try. -He said.

He heard Kaiba clicking his tongue, but he didn't bother to answer him. When Kaiba left, Jonouchi shouted at Yugi:

-What are you doing standing there? Come on, Yug!

-Yeah, yeah. I'm going. -Yugi said, still looking at Kaiba.

Then, he turned around to go towards Jonouchi.

While the blond guy and Yugi were talking and practicing, Ryuuji was with Honda, explaining to him the basics of skiing. The brown-haired boy was listening to him, interested. Ryuuji was so happy of having that short moment with him. He really felt comfortable with his presence. Honda always saw through him, forcing him to be honest with himself, which was hard for him to do. At a certain moment, Honda said:

-Okay, I think I can go now to make Jonouchi feel jealous!

-Wait, watch out…! –Ryuuji tried to warn him, but Honda was already running.

Honda screamed as he fell to the snow.

-Ouch…

Ryuuji chuckled and approached him, lending him a hand to help him get up.

-Are you alright? –He asked, smiling.

-Yes… Thank you. –Honda grabbed his hand and got up.

Then, Ryuuji looked away before shyly saying:

-Hey… You know we have the festival in the city when we come back from this trip… Would you like going with me?

Honda smiled widely.

-Of course! I’ll tell Jonouchi and Yugi too! –He replied.

Ryuuji pressed his lips, but looked at him, forcing a smile.

-Good!

 

* * *

 

Marik and Bakura had been following the rest of the group to try to learn how to ski well. It was also the first time that Bakura had tried to do it. They were very bad at it at first, but after some hours they already managed to do it without help, even though they still fell sometimes.

-I love this! -Said Marik, smiling- Trips are so entertaining…

Bakura looked at him. He liked how enthusiastic his friend was with everything.

-Let's try to do a race! -Marik looked back at him.

-Hm? Okay. -The white-haired guy nodded, also smiling.

Of course they wouldn't last long, but it would be funny. They set a final line and they started their competition. They chose a path were no one else was in, so they wouldn't have trouble while skiing. Bakura was really trying to get some advantage, but Marik was winning, with all his excitement being the source of his strength. He soon reached the final line, and he let out a laugh.

-Be careful, Marik! -Shouted Bakura.

As Marik had already won, he didn't move, so Bakura ended up clashing with him, and they both ended up rolling in the snow.

-Ouch… -Marik opened his eyes slowly.

-I'm sorry… -Bakura sat down, looking at Marik- Are you alright?

-Yes, and you? Are you hurt? -Marik got up quickly to show him he was fine.

The white-haired guy nodded and got up with Marik's help. They then heard a strange noise. The wind was getting stronger all of a sudden.

-That's… -Bakura let out that word as a whisper.

He recognized that as a blizzard. And it seemed strong.

-We have to go get somewhere safe! Let's return with the others! -He said, grabbing Marik by one arm.

He turned around to look after the others, but they were nowhere to be seen. Had they walked too far from the group…? Marik pulled Bakura's coat.

-Let's go in there! -He was pointing at a wooden house that was near them.

Bakura blinked twice.

-I hadn't noticed that house… But yes, let's go. -He agreed.

They started walking towards the house, and they made it just in time before the blizzard started. They could guess that the group would be inside the station where they got the skis.

The house was empty. It had probably been abandoned some time ago. They went into the living room, which had an old couch and a tea table, in front of a chimney. Marik sat on the couch while he looked through the window.

-We'll have to wait until this passes… -He whispered to himself.

Bakura nodded.

-Blizzards can be quite dangerous… -He said.

He sat next to Marik, who quickly noticed that they were both shivering.

-I wish I could light a fire… -He said, looking around. He then got up- I'm going to look after some wood. Maybe there's some in one room.

-Ah… I'll go too. -Said Bakura, ready to get up.

But Marik made him a gesture to keep sitting there.

-It's okay. It's enough if I go. -He replied, smiling at him.

Bakura hugged his own knees while he waited for the other to come back. He looked at the blizzard and sighed.

-Such bad luck… -He said.

Marik quickly returned to the living room, but without wood. Instead of that, he was carrying a long blanket.

-I found this. -He said, shrugging his shoulders- It will be better than nothing, I guess.

-Oh… Yes, thank you. -Bakura smiled.

Marik sat back next to him and wrapped the blanket around them. They both looked at the ceiling. "I hope this doesn't last too long…" thought Marik, not wanting to waste his first trip. They soon lost track of time. Who knows if they passed there hours… but the weather didn't get better. Marik let out a sigh, getting worried. Then, he felt something on his shoulder. He looked at Bakura. He was laying on him, with his eyes fixed on the chimney.

-I wonder if we'll have to wait much longer… -He whispered.

Marik pressed his lips, and looked again through the window.

-Yeah… He then felt again the white-haired boy's contact.

He was holding his hand tightly. Marik started thinking that it wasn't the first time they were holding hands. He looked at Bakura. Yeah. He had felt his heart pounding that fast before, and his cheeks burning. But he still didn't know how to describe that feeling. "I wonder if Bakura also feels these things…" he thought. The white-haired guy closed his eyes.

-But I feel safe next to you… -He kept his voice low.

Marik opened his eyes widely, surprised at hearing that.

-…Why's that? -He asked.

-Because you're always here for me. Ever since you came here… we've always been together. You've always been nice to me. And it's the first time this happens. -Bakura replied.

Marik smiled at those words.

-Me too… Aside from my sister and my brother, I never had a friend… And it makes me so happy to have one now. -He said.

He didn't know Bakura a lot, but he had seen that he was often alone. Bakura looked at Marik.

-It makes me happy too. I feel so comfortable with you.

Marik couldn't help it but get a weird feeling when he heard Bakura saying those things. What was it…? A few moments passed, and then Marik looked again through the window.

-It has stopped! -He said.

Bakura turned around to have a look. Yeah, the blizzard had stopped. They both got up and Marik went to put the blanket to his place. Then, they walked towards the door, ready to leave.

-Finally… -Said Marik, smiling.

Bakura looked at him and also smiled. He knew he was very excited to be on a trip and to see so many new things. They stepped out, and Marik suddenly faced Bakura. He was conscious that they had to reunite with the others now. They'd probably be worried about them. Bakura blinked twice, waiting for Marik to continue walking. But the foreign guy was staring at him, quietly.

-Marik? -Said Bakura.

The swarthy boy put his hands over the white-haired boy's shoulders and leaned on to kiss him. It was a light, shy kiss, as Marik didn't really know how to express what he had been feeling. Those feelings hit him hard while he was holding Bakura's hand and when he rested his head over his shoulders, and now he couldn't hold them in any longer.

Bakura opened his eyes widely, not knowing what to do at that. A few seconds passed before Marik let him go, looking away as he felt embarrassed.

-…Sorry. -He whispered.

Bakura was still puzzled, and he opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't find the words. After a few moments of waiting a reaction, Marik turned around and started to walk.

-Let's go catch up with the others. -He said, trying to relieve the tension.

Bakura followed him, being a few steps far from him. He needed to think about what had happened, not really knowing what he felt or thought about it. And they didn't talk all the way back, knowing that silence would be the best option at the moment.


	7. Holding back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We can already see Yugi's intentions clearly here~  
> Hope you enjoy the episode, thanks for reading!

Episode 07: Holding back

 

Marik could feel that because of what he had done, the distance between him and Bakura was growing. He had tried to talk to him to make things comfortable again, but the white-haired guy only gave him short, quick answers, which made Marik feel bad. He was starting to think that maybe he hadn't done the right thing. But Bakura needed time to think about it. Since that moment, he had started to feel strange every time he was close to Marik. He felt his cheeks burning and his heart pounding fast… and he didn't know how to act, so he preferred to leave some distance until he could find the right words to express himself.

The day they came back from skiing, after returning to the bungalows, they all had dinner outside, gathered with the rest of the students. Marik had thought it would be a good chance to talk to Bakura and get everything to be as always, but Bakura tried to eat his food as fast as he could to get to the bungalow first. When Marik got in, Bakura seemed to be sleeping. Marik had no choice but to accept the white haired guy's resolution.

During the following days, they continued doing activities with the rest of the group, until the last day of the trip, when the teachers gathered all the students to tell them they'd be going to an artificial hot spring there was. Everyone was happy about the news, since they could relax a bit from all those physical activities.

-Wow, I've never been to a hot spring! -Said Jonouchi, with a big smile on his face.

-Ah, I can already feel my body distending… -Added Honda.

Yugi and Ryuuji laughed at them. Marik peeked at that group, since they talked so loud that it was hard not to hear them. He felt a bit jealous. It seemed they got along so well with each others that they'd never have problems between them… but he couldn't help things getting more difficult to him and Bakura.

They all started to walk until they reached the hot spring, that wasn't very far away. After arriving, the Prism students rushed into the dressing room to leave their clothes.

Even though Bakura and Marik didn't talk as much as before, they still went together everywhere, so they got into the dressing room together.

When they got ready, Marik approached the water to get in, but he quickly walked some steps back, as it burnt. Bakura looked at him, worried.

-…You have to get your feet in first. Once you're used to it, try getting your legs. -He said.

Marik looked back at him, slightly surprised. He felt joy inside of him. He was excited to have Bakura talk to him again, even if it wasn't that much.

-Thank you. -He replied.

Bakura smiled shyly and walked towards him to try to get into the water too. Marik scratched the back of his head as he thought well before saying what he had in mind:

-By the way, Bakura… Please forget about what I did yesterday. Let's act as if it never happened.

Bakura looked at him, surprised. He was going to say something, but stopped when he saw Marik smiling, though it was a sad smile.

-Forgive me. -He added.

Bakura pressed his lips, worried, but he knew that it was what Marik needed right now. He probably was feeling guilty for the distance that had them a bit separated, and he just wanted it to go back to how they were before, so there was nothing Bakura could say at that moment. Marik's smile quickly widened, and he got completely into the water.

-Ah, it feels so relaxing…! -He said.

A small smile appeared on Bakura's lips when he heard that, slightly relieved of seeing Marik talking as always.

-Yes, it does.

 

* * *

 

Jonouchi and Honda were really excited about the hot spring, so they got ready quickly and ran out of the dressing room. Ryuuji waited for Yugi to be ready, and they walked out together.

-They get excited over every little thing. -Commented Ryuuji, with a smile over his lips.

Yugi smiled back.

-Well, you were in Holo, but it's the first time they're doing all of these things. -He said.

Ryuuji shrugged his shoulders, feeling a bit sad about that. He really wished they could all get into Holo together, but he knew it wouldn't be possible. He wanted to be able to experience that kind of joy with all of them again and again.

They followed Jonouchi and Honda, and they quickly gathered everyone's attention, being all noisy. Ryuuji looked a bit worried at the tanned Holo student that was staring at them and sighing out of jealousy.

-Maybe we could get closer to the Holo students… -He whispered.

-You know they wouldn't agree with that. -Replied Yugi, having heard him, and pointing at the other two.

Ryuuji sighed.

-You're right.

Yugi looked around, waiting to find what he had been searching since they came out of the dressing room. A smile showed up on his lips when he saw it. Kaiba was the more afar from them he could get. People who came across him only talked a few words with him before leaving. "He probably wants to have this moment to relax himself", thought Yugi. But he couldn't help it, so he got up and started walking towards where he was.

-I'm coming back in a few minutes. -He said to Ryuuji, who just nodded.

Yugi approached Kaiba, the smile still on his face.

-Hello, Kaiba. How's the water for you? -He said, in his always mocking tone.

The brown-haired guy let out a long sigh.

-You again? Won't you leave me alone? -He replied.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders.

-Oh, come on, don't be so cold with me.

-How could I not?

Yugi raised his eyebrows and sat next to Kaiba.

-You lose your temper really fast, you know? -He whispered.

Kaiba got away from him, frowning.

-You _waste_ my patience. -He said, cold.

-I'm glad I have some effect on you. -Yugi's smile widened.

Kaiba's eyes were looking at him with pure hate, but Yugi couldn't drop the teasing.

-Did I already tell you how disgusting you are? Don't try to get close to me. -Kaiba got up, ready to leave.

Yugi had a good look to Kaiba's body before getting up too. He walked closer towards Kaiba, who didn't move an inch, until they were just a few centimeters away.

-Am I? That just makes me want to bother you more and more. -He said.

Kaiba pushed him away and he walked out of the hot spring, going towards the dressing room. Yugi followed him all the way.

-Isn't it too soon to leave already? -He commented. He then let out a giggle- It looks like I'm winning the game. _Again._

Kaiba stopped and turned around to face Yugi, slamming him to the wall and with an intimidating expression.

-If you're trying to make me hate you, you're getting what you want. Now leave me alone. I don't want to see you around me. -He said, frowning.

Yugi was sure that Kaiba's words could have cut him like a knife if it was a possible thing. But even so, his smile didn't leave his face.

-What if I'm just testing you? -He replied.

That got Kaiba confused.

-What?

Yugi got his arms over Kaiba's chest, getting closer to him and running his fingers all through the zone.

-It's not hate what I want from you. But you can hate me if you want, too. -Whispered Yugi.

After that, he pushed lightly Kaiba away to walk outside of the dressing room, leaving Kaiba even more puzzled than before.

 

* * *

 

 Jonouchi let out a sigh as they got out of the bus.

-I can't believe it's already over… -He said.

Honda patted his back to try to make him feel better.

-Come on! We'll get another trip!

-I really hope so… And this time, Shizuka and Anzu will come with us! -Jonouchi added.

-Yes, yes! The more, the merrier! -Honda smirked when he heard the blond guy's words.

As always, Jonouchi started arguing with Honda. Ryuuji interrupted them.

-Well, guys, I have to leave now, so… I'll see you later.

-Ah, me too! I have to go work in a few hours… -Honda said.

-They aren't giving you the holidays for yourself? -Jonouchi blinked twice, surprised at that.

-Nah. They wanted to, but I really need the money, so… -Honda shrugged his shoulders. Then, he looked at Ryuuji- Let's go.

The black-haired guy smiled slightly and nodded.

Jonouchi and Yugi waved them off, and the blond guy sighed again once they were out of their sight.

-What happens? -Yugi looked at him, curious.

-Well, you see… I also got a work. I was thinking about how Honda and I are in a bad situation… -Jonouchi answered.

Yugi opened his eyes widely in surprise.

-You're working? You didn't tell us.

Jonouchi scratched the back of his head, laughing.

-I didn't want to break the cool trip ambience… -He said. He then smiled sadly- You see… It's my problem. I don't want to bother you guys.

-It doesn't bother us… -Yugi replied- What are you working in?

-In a pub. But it's a really good one! Very expensive and elegant… -Said Jonouchi.

-I see… Well, I hope it goes well for you.

Then, they started walking. They kept talking about unimportant stuff until Jonouchi reached his apartment. He looked at Yugi.

-Well, Yug. I'll see you in the festival. -He said.

Yugi nodded.

-See you there. -He replied.

After saying goodbye to each other, Yugi took his time before walking back home. He kept thinking about what happened during the trip. He smiled to himself. He had thought that that school year was going to be as boring as always, but it had started a few months ago and he was already really excited about how it would end. "Yeah, I won't be able to get to Holo, but…" …But he had made some friends. Some good friends, as far as he could tell. He had also found someone really interesting who managed to make his way to his mind all day. He was really looking forward to how things with Kaiba would go. He let out a light chuckle. It was the first time he met someone like him. Before that, he would often think that people weren't worth his time. But his new friends were funny, and Kaiba was entertaining. "How long has it been since something can keep me entertained…?" he thought.

 

* * *

 

When Marik and Bakura left the bus, the foreign guy looked at his friend, a bit concerned. They would be parting ways so quickly, and Marik would have to go home still feeling bad.

-Hey, Bakura, want to go out for a walk? It's still early… -He said.

Bakura looked back at him, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

-Yes.

Marik smiled widely, and they started walking, without a specific place in mind where to go to. Marik tried to keep talking to not let the situation get tense, and Bakura really appreciated that, since he wouldn't really know what to say. They stopped at a cafeteria to have hot chocolate. Marik felt relief when he saw Bakura with a wide smile on his face after tasting his drink. He knew he loved sweet drinks.

-Ah, it just feels so sad to be back here…It makes me think that we don't have many time left before going back to classes… -Commented Marik.

-Yes… Remember the test we'll have when we come back, too. It has me worried… -Bakura replied.

-But you don't have anything to worry about! You're one of the best students in our class! -Marik smiled, proud of him.

Bakura scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

-Well, yes, but it's still hard to pass… -He said.

-I know it won't be that hard for you. -Marik said- Me, on the other hand… This time I won't have your help to make me pass…

Bakura frowned.

-You didn't pass because of me! You're capable of it! -He then fixed his gaze to his chocolate cup- …But we can hang out to help you study, even if it's holidays…

Marik looked surprised at him.

-Yes, please! -He said, smiling widely again.

Bakura smiled back at him. Truth was, he wanted to be with him all the time he could be.

After a while, they got out of the cafeteria.

-Well, Bakura, I have to go join Rishid now… He should be arriving in city by now. -Said Marik.

Bakura nodded.

-Alright. Take care.

-Yeah! You too. I'll call you later to tell you when you can come to meet him. -Marik smiled.

They waved each other off and Marik started walking away. The smile didn't leave his face. He was really happy to be able to talk to his best friend as he always had done. It seemed things were cooling down between them. The joy made his heart pound with an unusual strength. But, if he thought well about it, it was that way every time he was around Bakura.


	8. Happiness & Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit late in the update, but I'm very busy with school tests and that.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the episode! (Be prepared for a both happy and sad one...)  
> Thanks for reading!

Episode 08: Happiness & Regret

Bakura stopped right before the door of Marik's apartment. He let out a sigh. He was feeling really nervous. It was the first time he was visiting a friend, and he was getting excited because of that. The last few days he had been thinking about what happened during the trip, without being able of getting it out of his mind, and starting to find an answer to his questions. Now he just wanted to see him and talk to him like they always had done. He wanted to meet Rishid and to have a nice afternoon with them.

He pressed the doorbell and waited. Marik came out quickly, with a big smile on his face. He was happy to see his best friend again.

-Hello, Bakura! Come in, come in! -He said.

Bakura smiled shyly and entered the house, greeting Marik back. They went to the living room, and there he was, sitting on the couch, Rishid. He was a tall man, as tanned as Marik, and almost completely bold, if it wasn't for the long black ponytail he had on the back of his head. He had an Egyptian hieroglyphics tattoo over the left side of his face. He smiled at Bakura gently.

-Good afternoon, Bakura. -He said- Marik told me about you.

Bakura smiled back at him.

-Nice to meet you, Rishid. -He replied.

-Come on, grab a seat. -Said Marik, sitting next to Rishid.

The white-haired boy nodded and sat next to Marik, who handed him some drinks and snacks.

-I wanted to thank you for helping Marik since he came here. It makes me feel reassured, and you've really helped him making him feel comfortable here. -Started Rishid, looking at Bakura.

-Oh, it's nothing! -Bakura scratched the back of his head, embarrassed of hearing that- Marik has also been very good with me, and I'm really happy to be his friend.

Marik chuckled, glad to hear that.

-In that case, I hope you can continue being his friend until the end of this school year. -Said Rishid, still smiling.

Bakura stopped at that, with his eyes fixed on Rishid. "What did he just say…?" he thought, frozen. He looked at Marik to try to get an explanation from him, but his friend looked away, with a worried expression on his face. Rishid spoke first:

-Ah, didn't Marik tell you about this…? He's coming back to Egypt after this year…

-Is that true? -Asked Bakura, staring at Marik.

Marik only nodded, feeling too awkward to look back at him. Bakura's glare fell to the floor.

-I'm sorry to be giving you bad news. -Continued Rishid, feeling guilty for the situation.

-…Let's… talk about something else. -Said Marik.

Agreeing with him, Rishid tried to change the topic, but it was hard for Bakura to hide his sadness.

The time when Bakura had to leave came soon, and Marik got up to walk him home. They left the apartment and started walking in silence, until Marik decided to speak:

-…I'm sorry about that. I didn't know until Rishid came that I was just going to be here for one year… it was my father's decision.

Bakura held in a sigh, pressing his lips, without looking at Marik.

-I see… It's just… it's hard to accept it… -He mumbled.

They were already on winter holidays. Only six months left until Marik left. And he was going to Egypt… he wouldn't see him in a long time… Bakura peeked at him, with a sad look in his eyes.

It was also hard for Marik, of course, but he didn't know what to say. When they reached Bakura's apartment, Marik avoided looking at him, feeling like he would break down.

-Well… Thanks for coming today. I'll see you soon. -He said, turning around, ready to leave.

Bakura grabbed him by the jacket, to make him stop. Marik looked at him, slightly surprised.

-…I'm sorry… -Whispered Bakura.

-What? -Marik turned around to face him, a bit worried.

Bakura had his eyes fixed on the ground, and Marik could sense that he was nervous, since his voice trembled.

-I was wrong… -Added the white-haired boy.

-About what?

Bakura suddenly hugged him tightly, surprising Marik even more. He was going to ask again what happened, but Bakura continued talking in a quiet voice:

-I… I also… love you…

Marik's eyes opened widely. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He felt his heart beating faster, like it would break out of his chest. It had to be some sort of dream… Bakura _loved_ him? He had to open his mouth a few times before being able to let out any answer.

-You feel… the same way than me? -Said Marik, thinking that he must have misheard it.

Bakura nodded, and Marik could feel joy melting his heart. His cheeks burnt, and he just hugged Bakura back, with great strength.

-I'm so glad to hear that… -He said.

Bakura smiled. He was as happy as Marik. He had been thinking about it since they came back from the trip, but he didn't know exactly what he felt for him.

But after all, it was love. It had to be. How could he feel so good when he was next to him, and keep missing him when they weren't together? How could he explain that happiness that filled him when he saw him? And his heart almost broke when he heard he was going to come back to Egypt. It was love.

He looked at Marik.

-I'm sorry about what happened during the trip… I needed to place my thoughts and feelings… -He said.

Marik smiled and caressed his cheek.

-It's okay, you don't need to apologize. -He replied. He then let out a sigh- But I still can't believe it… that you love me.

Bakura's cheek blushed slightly, embarrassed.

-You truly make me feel this way… -He whispered, looking down.

Marik chuckled and kissed the top of his nose.

-You also make me feel like this. I love you, Bakura.

The white-haired boy smiled back at him, and after a few seconds of staring at each other, they melted into a gentle kiss. Bakura felt this one full of love, passion, and happiness. It fulfilled them with emotions that they couldn't explain, but they felt relieved after it, like they had been waiting for that for a really long time. Maybe it was just meant to happen, they thought.

They smiled widely and a small laugh escaped their mouths, making them feel more connected to each other than ever.

 

* * *

When Marik arrived home, his good mood could be easily read. He had a wide smile over his face, and his cheek were still blushing. He greeted Rishid cheerfully, and his brother approached him.

-He's a nice guy. -He said, smiling back at Marik- Bakura, I mean.

-Yes, he is. I'm glad you like him. -Marik looked at Rishid, happy to hear that.

-…I'm sorry about our father's decision… I tried to do what I could… -Rishid said, still feeling bad for it.

He really didn't want to separate Marik from the first true friend he had made, and he felt like he would have never apologized enough.

-Don't talk about it, please. -Marik's smile turned slightly sad- I want to enjoy my time here, and not keep thinking about that. I don't blame you for it, I know it's not your fault.

Rishid sighed in relief. He then remembered something, and spoke again:

-There are some festivals here in a few days, right?

-Yes.

-Go with Bakura. -Rishid smiled again.

-What?! But… what about you? -Marik opened his eyes widely in surprise.

He didn't expect that. Rishid had come to visit him… He couldn't leave him alone.

-You need to enjoy all you can these things. Isn't it the first festival since you're here? Go and have fun. -Said Rishid.

Marik smiled. He was so happy to hear that. He hugged his brother tightly.

-Thank you, Rishid! -He said.

Rishid hugged him back and patted his head.

-Don't need to thank me.

 

* * *

Ryuuji sighed as he let himself fall to the couch. He had just arrived home after picking all his things from Honda's apartment. He covered his face with his arms, biting his lips. He felt bad about it. Honda had told him to stay, that there was no need to leave so soon, but his feelings were starting to be uncontrollable. He knew Honda didn't feel the same way, but he was so kind with him… But he was like that with everyone, and he needed to acknowledge it.

He didn't want to have a situation like the one on the trip, where he asked him to go to the festival together… Now they were going along with Jonouchi and Yugi. He wanted to be with them too, of course, but he had thought of that day as a chance to be with Honda all alone. "I guess that's proof enough that he doesn't feel like I do…" he thought, "Or maybe it's just that he didn't get it. Maybe he just wants to spend that day with all of us…" And maybe he was being kind of optimistic with that, but he didn't care at that moment.

Time passed quickly for him, and the day of the festival arrived. He was still excited about it, since he could see Honda again. He got ready and went to the meeting place. Everyone was there, except Yugi.

-Huh? Is Yugi late? -He asked.

-It wouldn't be the first time, certainly. -Pointed out Jonouchi. He then sighed- But no, that's not the case this time. He won't be coming. He said that he had something to do at the last minute… What a guy!

Honda scratched the back of his head.

-He's impossible… -He added.

-Well, anyways, now that we're here, let's get going. -Said Jonouchi, starting to walk.

Ryuuji and Honda followed him, and the brown-haired guy looked at him, a bit worried.

-Is everything going well? Do you need something? -He asked. He then added:- Since you're back on your own, and that…

Ryuuji looked back at him, surprised.

-Oh, no, I'm alright. Thank you. -He smiled slightly.

Honda smiled too.

-I'm glad about that.

They reached the main place of the festival, that was packed with people and joy. It was full of stands were people sold sweets, toys for kids, and were you could play games and win some prizes. The air was filled with a sweet fragrance, and there was a band playing on a stage. They had to pay attention not to run onto the children that were running around the place.

Jonouchi went to a stand where you shot at cans and you could get a prize for it, with a bid grin on his lips.

-I'm sure I can get the biggest prize! -He said.

-No, you can't. -Teased him Honda, smirking.

-What are you saying?! You know my luck is the best! -Jonouchi frowned at his friend and paid for one round.

Ryuuji chuckled at the scene.

-How much do you bet on him losing? -Honda whispered to Ryuuji.

-And what are you going to do if he wins? -Ryuuji replied in the same tone.

Honda shrugged his shoulders and waved off, like that wasn't even a possibility. Ryuuji let out a short laugh.

Jonouchi started to shoot at the cans, but he failed the first attempts. He clicked his tongue.

-I have to get used to this…! -He said.

-Yeah, yeah, excuses. -Commented Honda.

Jonouchi gave him a deadly glare and then continued to shoot. And, finally, he took one can down. He jumped out of joy, letting out a cheerful shout. When the seller showed him what prizes he could get from that can, his smile faded. Honda burst out into laughter.

-You shot the less valuable can! You're so bad at this! -He said.

-Shut up! -Jonouchi frowned, annoyed- It's just that today I don't have my usual good luck…

-Yeah, sure. -Honda couldn't stop laughing.

Jonouchi walked away, getting angry at Honda.

-Wait for us, there's too many people…! -Said Ryuuji, trying to grab Jonouchi's jacket.

But a crowd of people made Jonouchi quickly dissappear out of Ryuuji's sight. He was pushed by the people walking around them, and turned around to look after Honda, having also lost sight of him. Suddenly, a hand reached out for him and pulled him out of the crowd. Ryuuji found himself dragged by Honda.

-Hey, pay attention! -The brown-haired boy said, with a worried expression.

Ryuuji rested his hands on Honda's arms to regain his balance, and looked at him, slightly surprised, as everything happened really fast.

-Ah… I'm sorry… -He mumbled.

He got a few steps away from Honda, feeling a bit embarrassed of being too close to him. Honda let out a sigh.

-And now we've lost Jonouchi… Well, he can take care of himself. -He said.

-What? But he's alone… -Ryuuji looked around, trying to find Jonouchi.

-I'm sure he will find us. And the fireworks are going to start soon. Do you want to miss them just because his stupidity? -Replied Honda.

-Ah…

Before Ryuuji had a moment to answer him, Honda grabbed him by his wrist and started walking.

-Come on, let's pick a good place where we can see them well. And stay close to me, or you're going to get lost again. -He said.

Ryuuji felt his cheeks blushing. He pressed his lips as he stared at Honda and followed him. He was so happy at that moment. He looked at how Honda was pulling him from his wrist and smiled. How hard could it be sometimes to hide his feelings?

Honda stopped when they arrived at a field a bit far from all the crowds, where you could see all the festival. There wasn't anyone else around. Right after they arrived, the fireworks started. A "boom" made them look at the sky, and the colorful lights appeared, shining. They smiled widely.

-It's beautiful. -Ryuuji said.

Honda only nodded, with his eyes fixed on the sky. The color of the fireworks started to change, and then they got mixed, filling the sky of different colors and types of firework. After a few minutes, Ryuuji peeked at Honda, and then smiled. "He looks so calm and yet so happy…" he thought. That moment was priceless. In the end, he was there with him, all alone. And that gave them the courage to speak:

-…Hey, Honda.

The brown-haired boy looked at him, curious.

-Yeah? -He asked.

Ryuuji was staring at him. He smiled when he saw Honda looking at him. Ryuuji had been repeating those words in his mind for a long time, but now that he had to say them to Honda, they came almost naturally out of his mouth:

-I like you. Would you like to date me?

Right when he said that, he wished he had never done it. Honda opened his eyes widely in surprise, and his smile faded. He looked away quickly.

-…I'm going to look after Jonouchi, he hasn't called me. Wait here. -He said, turning around and running into the crowds.

Ryuuji stood there, frozen. He watched as Honda ran, until he lost sight of him. He felt his knees weakening, and he felt to the ground. Tears started to cover his eyes, and he couldn't avoid them rolling down through his cheeks. He started sobbing, even though in his mind he wanted to shut down all those emotions and to stop crying. His mind was a mess. He felt his heart breaking into a million pieces. He looked at the sky, but his eyes were so blurry that he couldn't see the fireworks. The sound of the fireworks exploding were deafening to him. He covered his face with his hands as he continued crying. …How he wished he could go back in time and make like he had never said anything.


	9. Inducements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode was a bit late, sorry about that!  
> I also want to apologize in advance because I'm going to be busy with school and the next episode will come out late too.
> 
> Also, this is a E-rated episode! (Prideshipping)  
> Hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 09: Inducements

 

Bakura was waiting for Marik at the meeting place. They were going to the festival together, and he was excited about it. "It's a date", he thought, smiling to himself. He couldn't get out of his mind that moment when he told Marik about his feelings. He was really happy with their situation now. He preferred not to think about the future right now… and just enjoy his time with him.

Marik appeared soon, with a big smile on his lips.

-Sorry to have you kept waiting! -He said.

-Oh, no, it's okay. -Replied Bakura, looking at him.

They hugged each other tightly, both of them smiling, happy to see each other. When they separated, their smiles didn't fade.

-Let's get going. -Said Marik.

Bakura nodded, and they both started walking. The white-haired boy stopped to buy some sweets, and made Marik taste them.

-Oh, this cloudy thing is really good! -Marik said, after trying the candy floss Bakura gave him.

Bakura let out a laugh when he heard that. He loved Marik's excitement when he discovered something new. It was also the first time he saw so many people together, and such a cheerful ambience, so Marik was stopping at everything to have a look. When Marik ran towards a stand to see what they were offering, Bakura had to run after him to not be left behind.

-Hey, Marik, wait for me! -He said, looking at him and pouting- There's a lot of people and you could get lost…

Marik looked back at him and smiled. Then, he held Bakura's hand, squeezing it gently.

-This way we won't get lost. -He said.

Bakura's cheeks blushed lightly, feeling embarrassed when he heard that. He looked at the ground, not knowing what to do. He was so happy to be with Marik…

-Alright… -He whispered.

Marik chuckled and they continued walking, holding hands tightly. Then, after some time walking through the stands and after seeing everything, Bakura took Marik to a place where everyone was starting to gather. Marik looked confused around, since there was nothing special at that place.

-Why's everyone coming here, Bakura? -He asked.

-The fireworks are going to start soon, and this is a good place to see them. -Explained Bakura, looking at him tenderly because of his reaction.

-Fireworks? -Marik's eyes shone with excitement-  I've read about it! They are those colorful lights in the sky, right?

Bakura's smile widened.

-Yes, but it's much better when you see it with your own eyes. I'm sure you'll love it. -He said.

Right after he had said that, the fireworks started exploding in the sky. They looked at them, and Marik became speechless. Their sound made his chest tighten, but they were so beautiful to him. All the colors combined together made his eyes widen, not wanting to miss a single one. Bakura peeked at him and smiled when he saw that Marik couldn't keep his mouth closed because of the excitement. "He's so lovely", he thought. They kept their fingers entwined all long. When the fireworks ended, Marik looked back at Bakura, smiling.

-Thanks for bringing me here, Bakura! I loved it! It was so beautiful! -He said.

-Right? I was happy to watch them with you. -Replied Bakura, also smiling.

-Me too. It was fantastic. -Marik approached him and kissed his front.

Bakura let out a chuckle and hugged him. He couldn't express how glad he was to be with him. And he just wanted to be with him forever.

 

* * *

 

Honda was out of breathe when he found Jonouchi, who was also looking after them. Honda stopped to catch his breathe again, panting. The blond boy was surprised to see him like that.

-Honda! I couldn't see you anywhere. Where's Ryuuji? What are you doing here alone? And what's the rush? -He asked.

Honda pressed his lips and waited a bit after answering, as he needed his heart to stop racing after all that running. Then, he looked back at Jonouchi, still confused about what happened and having to put his thoughts in place before making an understandable sentence.

-I… came look after you, since you've been gone for a long time… You missed the fireworks… Ryuuji is… -He stopped, looking away- He's at the place where we watched the fireworks… Let's go back.

-Yeah… -Jonouchi nodded, confused.

They walked back to where Honda and Ryuuji were, and the brown-haired boy still didn't know how to face his friend after what happened. He didn't feel the same way, but it was going to be hard to tell him… "I'm not gay", he thought. But that illusion that Ryuuji had when he said what he felt towards him was hard to break. How could he tell him…?

Honda stopped when they arrived to the place, surprised and confused  at the same time. Ryuuji wasn't there. He looked around, but he didn't find him anywhere. Jonouchi had the same expression than Honda.

-Where's Ryuuji? -Asked the blond boy, staring at Honda.

It was the question that was crossing the brown-haired boy's mind. He looked back at Jonouchi.

-I'm going to go search him. -He said.

Before letting Jonouchi say something, he turned around and started to run. He couldn't let things like that. "I shouldn't have left him alone... but I didn't know how to react", he thought. But he knew it wasn't an excuse. Ryuuji needed him, and he had to be there for him, as a friend.

 

* * *

 

Kaiba was typing on the computer, finishing some documents, when he heard someone knocking on the door. He let out a sigh. It was already late, and he had told everyone to leave him alone, since he had a lot of work to do. He got up and went to open the door. He got really surprised when he saw Yugi standing there, with a smirk over his lips.

-Goodnight, Kaiba. -He said.

He took advantage of Kaiba's confusion to walk into the room, closing the door behind him. Kaiba looked at him, frowning.

-What are you doing here?

-I thought you'd need some company tonight... Since you're here all alone instead of enjoying the festival. -Explained Yugi, looking back at him.

-I don't need any company. Get out. -Kaiba walked towards the door to open it again.

Yugi stopped him, grabbing him by one arm.

-Come on, let me entertain you. -He said.

Kaiba turned around to look at him again, with his eyes widely opened.

-What?

Yugi rested both hands on Kaiba's shoulders and got closer to him, still smirking.

-You heard me. -He whispered.

Then, he closed his eyes and kissed Kaiba on the lips, passionately. Kaiba stood there, frozen. What was happening...?  Yugi licked the CEO's lips to try to make an opening to get his tongue inside his mouth. When Kaiba came back to his senses, he pushed Yugi away and slapped him. Confusion was all over his face.

-What are you doing?! -He said, angry.

He couldn't believe what just happened. He couldn't believe that the guy he hated had just kissed him.

Yugi looked at him and chuckled.

-Oh, are you refusing my little game? -He said, approaching him again.

Kaiba didn't move, but his cold eyes were warning enough to tell Yugi to stop. But he didn't. He stared at the brown-haired boy, only a few centimeters away from him.

-This is a game where you can defeat me, Kaiba. Dominate me. -He kept his voice low.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. It couldn't be possible.

-Are you asking me to have sex with you? -He asked, not really wanting to think that he was right.

Yugi's smirk widened.

-I knew you're an intelligent boy. -He said- That's right. You wouldn't turn down my challenge, no? After all, you're the great Seto Kaiba...

He put his arms around Kaiba's neck.

A game where he could defeat Yugi. After feeling all that shame for losing with a beginner, he was offering him a way to make him be the superior one. And that was all that he needed. He didn't care how, but he wanted to show his power to Yugi. He wanted to defeat him in any possible way. And getting on top of him wasn't a bad way. It would show him his place. Besides, he couldn't deny how hot that kiss had been. Yugi had captivated him with that.

They stared at each other for a few moments, trying to see who would give in first. Yugi decided to take the first step, and their lips met again. Both of them opened their mouth to let their tongues play with each other. They fought for dominance, but Kaiba quickly won that battle, making Yugi shiver. They closed their eyes, wanting to enjoy that kiss the best they could. Kaiba held Yugi by his waist, since he was losing his balance. Their kiss kept getting more and more intense, and even though Yugi was trying to hold his moans, he didn't last long. When Kaiba heard his noises, he felt his pride growing up in his chest. It was the feeling of victory.

When they broke the kiss, Yugi was panting. Kaiba smirked.

-I thought you were better at this. -He said, in a mocking tone.

Yugi raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

-Show me more, Mister Kaiba. -He whispered.

The CEO rolled his eyes at that and grabbed Yugi by the arm, pulling him out of the room. They walked into a bedroom, and Kaiba pushed Yugi to the bed, pinning him down. They stared at each other for a long time, in silence. Kaiba still couldn't believe he was in that situation with his rival, but it didn't matter anymore. He had found the pleasure he was looking for when Yugi showed submission to him. And he wanted to savor it more.

Kaiba leaned on to kiss his neck, while his hands started to unbutton his shirt. Yugi wrapped his legs around Kaiba's hips, and closed his eyes when he felt his lips over his skin. He smirked to himself, enjoying that situation. Kaiba sucked on the zone, leaving a mark, and making Yugi bite his lip. Then, Kaiba got a bit away to take off Yugi's shirt, tossing it far away in the room. He stared at the boy's chest, and started caressing it. Yugi reacted when Kaiba pinched his nipples, trying to contain his moans. The CEO got closer again to lick one of Yugi's nipples, while playing with the other one with his fingers. When his teeth touched the sensitive skin, Yugi couldn't hold in his moans anymore. He arched his back, making their lower parts collide. Kaiba got shivers all through his body when he felt the pressure of Yugi's zone there. The other boy let out a chuckle.

-Oh, it looks like you're already hard... -He said.

-What about you? You're even harder than me. -Replied Kaiba, looking at him.

Yugi smirked and sat down on the bed, next to Kaiba. He leaned on to whisper on his ear:

-It's alright, I'll get fully pleased later.

Then, he unzipped Kaiba's pants and pulled them down enough, alongside his boxers, to let his dick out. Yugi licked his own lips when he saw Kaiba's boner.

-I knew you would enjoy this. -He teased him.

-Shut up. -Kaiba frowned.

Yugi chuckled again and leaned on, caressing with one hand Kaiba's member, while he undid his own pants. He then licked the top of the dick, seeing Kaiba biting his lips at the contact. Yugi continued teasing him, only touching him with the tip of his tongue, slowly, all around the place. Kaiba grabbed the back of his head, putting just a bit of force to indicate him to get it into his mouth.

-What are you waiting for...? -He said, impatient.

Yugi smirked and did as Kaiba wanted, sucking slowly on his dick, making the brown-haired boy close his eyes to enjoy the feeling. Yugi started touching himself while he continued sucking on Kaiba, at the same pace. His tongue ran all over Kaiba's length, wetting it. Kaiba arched his back a bit at how hot Yugi's tongue was. He opened his eyes to look at the view, getting goosebumps. But Yugi kept going slowly, to get Kaiba run out of patience.

-...What are you doing? Go faster. -He whispered, putting more force on the grip of his nape.

Yugi smirked internally at that. He had truly captivated him. He did what he was told, also touching himself faster. He tried to get all of Kaiba's dick in his mouth, making him pant. Yugi continued licking and sucking, and at a certain moment he let out a moan unconsciously, exciting Kaiba even more and making him let out a short, quiet moan. Yugi looked at him, still sucking on him, but Kaiba knew it was a glare of victory. He frowned and grabbed the back of his head again to get him away. When Yugi's lips parted of Kaiba's dick, a bit of pre-cum showed up over his lips. He licked it, smirking and looking at Kaiba.

-Why did you make me stop? Was it unbearable for you? -He said, mocking him.

-Don't be an idiot. Let's get to it. -Replied Kaiba, pushing him to make him lay down again, and getting on top of him.

Yugi arched his back on purpose to make both of their dicks touch. He pressed his lips, getting goosebumps. He rubbed them together and looked at Kaiba.

-You better fuck me hard. -He whispered.

-Did you really expect me to be soft on you? -Replied Kaiba in the same tone, leaning on him and taking completely off Yugi's pants.

Yugi smirked.

-I love how quick you catch things. -He said.

Then, as Kaiba was close enough, he licked his lips and kissed him again, getting his tongue inside his mouth. Of course, Kaiba took control over the kiss once more. While their kiss kept getting more passionate, Yugi didn't stop rubbing their dicks together, both of them panting. Kaiba took off the tie of his suit and broke the kiss to show it to Yugi, who clicked his tongue when he was separated from Kaiba's tongue. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the tie, waiting for an explanation.

-You moan too much. -Kaiba said- There's people in the building, and I don't want them to hear you when you can't control your moaning while I fuck you.

Yugi chuckled. Kaiba was so hot. He let him tie it around his mouth. Then, he separated their dicks to get two fingers in his entrance and started fingering himself. Kaiba looked at him, pleased with the view. It was hard not to touch himself, seeing Yugi's moans be shut down because of the tie and with his fingers inside his hole, arching his back and panting. Kaiba licked his own lips unconsciously. Then, Yugi took out his fingers and looked at Kaiba, impatient. Kaiba held him by his hips to lift him a bit, and he slowly got his dick in, both of them closing their eyes.

-Ah... -A small moan escaped Kaiba's mouth when he got all his dick inside of him.

Yugi moaned too, and Kaiba waited a bit before moving, to let him get used to it. He moved slowly, wanting to feel every thrust. He looked at Yugi's expression, like he wanted to beg for more, and he chuckled. It was so fucking hot... He increased his pace after some moments, grabbing him tight by the hips and thrusting fast and quick inside of him. Yugi arched his back, closing his eyes and moaning. Kaiba let out quiet moans as he kept going faster. He opened Yugi's legs even more to get deeper thrusts.

-Ah... Fuck... -He whispered without noticing it.

He couldn't believe that his rival was so hot, and that he would enjoy so much having sex with him. But he couldn't think about that at that moment.

He kept thrusting, and started masturbating Yugi, making him arch his back more. After a few more thrusts, both of them came almost at the same time. Yugi's moans were shut down, and Kaiba bit his lip to quiet his owns. Then, while he took out his dick and untied the tie around Yugi's mouth, both of them panted. Yugi looked at Kaiba, and after a few moments of trying to relax his body, he smirked.

-You're amazing at this. -He whispered.

Kaiba let out a sigh and sat next to him.

-You expected me to be bad?

Yugi chuckled.

-Of course not. The perfect Kaiba can't be bad at anything. -He teased him.

Kaiba rolled his eyes, and the smirk of satisfaction didn't leave Yugi's face. He had won what he wanted. After a couple of minutes of silence, Kaiba said:

-Don't get it wrong. We're not dating or anything.

Yugi interrupted him:

-I know. We're just having sex, nothing more.

And his satisfaction grew. He knew that meant that he could come to do it again another time. And of course he would. It had been one of the best experiences in his life. He closed his eyes. The attraction they had for each other was only physical, but it was all he needed.

-...Next time I don't want a tie around my mouth. -He said, mocking him.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

-Then come when there's no one around. It's your fault if you show up without telling me. -He replied.

Yugi chuckled.

-Then give me some way of getting in touch with you.

-What?

-If you don't, I'll come here whenever I want. I could also go wait for you at the end of school... But that would make everyone know that you're seeing a Prism student. -Said Yugi, looking back at him.

Kaiba sighed and looked away.

-Alright, I'll give you my number. But don't dare to show up without my permission. -He replied.

Yugi smirked again. He truly loved that situation. He got closer to Kaiba, catching his attention, and he kissed him again, this time softly. Both of them closed their eyes. Even if they hated each other, maybe it wasn't that bad. They'd have to see who would be the first to give in. And maybe some other feeling could grow inside of them...


	10. Hidden feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so late!!  
> I've been really busy with studies, but now I've finished mt tests so I hope I can write faster!!  
> I'll try to focus on this fanfic first, since it's close to its end, and then continue with the YGO 5D's one I'm writting. Sorry to keep you waiting. 
> 
> Thanks for all of you who keep reading me even though it took me so long to continue the story!! Hope you enjoy the episode!

****Episode 10: Hidden feelings

 

The classes started again, and everyone was soon busy with tests. As always, the Prism students didn't care a lot about it.

Jonouchi sat down on his chair, sighing.

-I can't believe the holidays are over already ... -He said.

-Come on, Jonouchi, are you going to complain all day? -Replied Yugi, who was sitting next to him.

Jonouchi saw how Ryuuji walked into the class, peeked at Honda, and quietly went to his seat, not greeting him. He frowned, confused.

-Hey, Yug, don't you think there's something strange going on between these two? At the festival too... -He said, looking at his friend.

Yugi gazed at them and raised his eyebrows.

-It was going to happen sooner or later... -He answered- Give them time, it's all they need for now.

Jonouchi pressed his lips, not very convinced. He suddenly remembered something and spoke again:

-I noticed you've been talking with Kaiba a lot lately. During the trip and that. Is there something wrong with him?

Yugi smirked at that and looked back at Jonouchi.

-Can you keep a secret? -He asked.

Jonouchi's curiosity grew when he heard that.

-Yeah, of course.

Yugi leaned on closer to him to lower his voice:

-I'm seeing him... privately. We're giving each other some benefits... If you know what I mean.

Jonouchi's eyes opened widely in surprise.

-What? But Yugi! It's Kaiba we're talking about! -He said, looking at him.

Yugi chuckled at his reaction. He knew it was going to be like that.

-I find him fascinating, and very attractive. It's only to release sexual tension, nothing serious. -He said.

Jonouchi let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

-Well, it's your decision... -He mumbled.

He wouldn't have cared if it was another person, of course, but Kaiba... But to him, Yugi seemed to serious about it. He knew he had nothing to say in that, and it made him feel bad. “Wait… for how long has this been going on…? Yugi certainly acted strange during the school trip…”, thought Jonouchi.

The teacher arrived, so they had to drop the conversation, but Jonouchi kept thinking about that and about Ryuuji and Honda all day. When the classes ended, he had to leave quickly, since he had to work that night. He walked to his apartment and let out a sigh when he closed the door behind him. It seemed like his friends were separating little by little, and he knew he couldn't be the only one noticing it.

When the night came, he got ready and went to the pub. The boss had already taken some affection for him, since he pitied his situation. Jonouchi started asking for people's orders, and the night passed like all the others, without inconveniences. Except for one thing.

At a certain moment, the door opened, while Jonouchi was taking some things to the bar. When he turned around to welcome the costumer, he stopped, frozen in place. The client's eyes also went wide. "What is Kaiba doing here?", thought Jonouchi. He started to get nervous, not being able to say a single word. If he thought things through, it wasn't that strange. It was an expensive pub, meant for rich people, and very stylish. Kaiba was with some business man, so it made sense that they had gone there to drink something. But Jonouchi didn't know how to react.

Kaiba cleared his throat, to try to shake the confusion out of his body, and frowned at the blond guy.

-Aren't you a waiter? Shouldn't you be serving us? -He said.

-Ah, of course... Here's the drink menu... -Replied Jonouchi, coming back to his senses.

Kaiba and the other business men sat down next to a table, and it didn't take them long to choose their drinks. They told Jonouchi what they wanted, and the blonde guy walked back to the bar to prepare the drinks.

Kaiba didn't take off his eyes from Jonouchi, trying to figure out how he ended up working there. He held in a sigh. Lately, it seemed that, no matter what he did, he'd end up bumping into those Prism guys. And he hated that.

Jonouchi approached them and let their drinks on the table, quickly walking away. He was truly unlucky. He passed all the night trying to avoid that table, and he felt relieved when he heard them get up to leave. Kaiba and Jonouchi crossed their eyes a last time before the CEO and the other men walked away.

Jonouchi continued working, trying not to think about it, but for some reason, that brief encounter found its way through his mind, and there it was, that stupid rich guy's face, occupying all his thoughts.

He went back home with a weird feeling in his chest that he didn't understand, but he felt so tired that he let himself fall to his bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 

 

When the results of their latest test came out, Ryuuji felt like he was being slapped in the face. He had been putting all his efforts into getting good grades to go back to Holo school, and yet there he was, failing that test. He knew that it wasn't the end of it, but he also knew why it had been that way. It was because of the pain that he had been feeling since that fireworks night, the night of the festival. Both Honda and himself were avoiding each other, even though it obviously hurt. But probably talking to him after what happened would hurt even more.

Two weeks had passed since that night, and Honda had tried to get things back to the way they were, but Ryuuji couldn't face him yet. He knew he would break down if he tried to, so he decided that he needed some time to recover from that. He had no idea how their relationship would go after that,  but he had a feeling that he had destroyed their friendship.

So, loving a friend, but also feeling like he was losing that friend, failing a test... Why was everything going wrong? And which one was the right way to follow?

He got up and got out of the classroom, walking with his head down, not paying attention at his surroundings and lost on his own thoughts. Honda went to the corridor to follow with him with his gaze, and he pressed his lips when he saw him. He felt guilty for what had happened and for the situation they now were in, but he didn't know how to fix it. Seeing his friend like that broke his heart.

He started following him, slowly, not wanting to bother him, but it seemed like Ryuuji didn't notice his pressence. The black haired guy didn't stop walking. Honda knew that if he wanted to fix things he had to make him stop and talk to him... but words didn't come out. He was only able to watch as Ryuuji got slowly away.

Those weeks had been tough for both of them, though Honda knew that Ryuuji was feeling much worse. And he was the reason why. He couldn't just ignore that fact and leave his friend like that.

He walked quickly to reach him, but he didn't dare to rest his hand on his shoulder. Instead of that, he stopped and cleared his voice before calling him:

-Ryuuji.

The black haired boy stopped walking when he heard Honda's voice. However, he didn't turn around. He felt like if he looked at him in the eye he would break down, and just replying already took a lot of effort, holding in the tears and trying to avoid his voice breaking.

-...Yes? -He said.

His voice was quiet, and that made Honda even more conscious of the situation. He fixed his gaze on the floor and then answered:

-I know that... I won't be able to fix things like this. But I want to apologize. I'm sorry for what happened that day, and my behaviour was horrible... I'm sorry.

There was silence for the next few minutes. Both of them had their eyes fixed on the floor, not daring of looking at each other. Ryuuji took an effort to answer:

-...You don't have to apologise.

That didn't make Honda feel better at all. He preferred Ryuuji to blame him, to let everything out and to say exactly how he felt... because he had plenty of reasons to apologise. He hadn't act like a friend, and he knew it. He lifted his gaze a bit to look at Ryuuji, who still was with his back to him.

-Of course I have... -Continued Honda- Forgive me...

Ryuuji had to press his lips to avoid wavering. He didn't want to start crying there and make Honda feel even worse. He didn't want to trouble him anymore. He still felt like all of that wouldn't have happened if he had been quiet.

-It's okay, don't worry. -He said.

After a few moments where no one dared to say anything, Ryuuji started walking again, getting away from Honda. The brown haired boy reacted and walked quickly to reach him. He grabbed him by the arm, but didn't pull. He just made him stop, standing behind him and without forcing him to turn around. He just didn't want him to leave.

Ryuuji, without knowing how to react to that, stood still, and waited until Honda talked.

-Ah... I'm sorry. -Mumbled Honda, letting him go- It's just that I... don't want things to end bad between us.

It was hard to say that, being him who had treated Ryuuji so bad, but he didn't want their friendship to finish.

-Me neither... -Replied Ryuuji, who was having a hard time trying to hold back the tears.

-Then… -Started Honda.

Ryuuji turned around to say:

-Give me some time. I still need to recover.

He could see some tears on Ryuuji's eyes, which made Honda open his eyes widely, surprised. He felt the urge to go and hug him and apologize again, but he decided to follow Ryuuji's decision and to keep some distance.

-Alright. Thanks, Ryuuji. -Replied Honda.

His friend nodded lightly and then left, leaving Honda a bit more hopeful.

* * *

 

 

Bakura closed the door behind and let a sigh out. He was smiling, and he still could feel his cheeks warm. He walked to his room, in a cheerful mood.

It was hard for him to believe that his dreams had came true. He was dating Marik, the boy he loved. He remembered the day Marik had approached him, on the high school. It had surprised him to see a foreign student changing of school that late, but he soon became infinitely grateful for that. He had been able to make a real friend, and he had been able to feel for the first time how his heart skipped a beat when he was with him.

He couldn't believe that Marik felt the same way. It was hard to assimilate. He also didn't expect there would be a day when he would kiss Marik, when he would hold hands with him…

His smile widened, not being conscious of it. He started walking around his room, and he ended in front of the board he had on the wall. There he had put all the photos he had taken with Marik until then. He had printed them for his boyfriend and for himself, and he always put them up right when he printed them, glad to add new memories to his collection.

He started looking at them slowly, one by one, feeling relaxed just at seeing them, and he remembered all the memories there were behind each of them. "Time flies, huh?", he thought. He had been dating Marik for quite some time, and he had been able to enjoy lots of things with him.

When he reached the last photo, he pressed his lips to try to hold on the tears that started to appear on his eyes. Time flies. The school year was about to end. There was very little time left before Marik had to go back to Egypt. He had been so distracted spending time with Marik that he had forgotten about it. "There are still so many thing I want to do with him…", thought Bakura.

He approached his bed and sat on it. He had to try to avoid thinking about it and enjoy the time he had left with Marik, but… it was hard to do that when the day of depart was so close.

-Egypt is really far from here, huh…? -Whispered Bakura, being conscious that tears were already rolling through his cheeks.

* * *

 

 

Jonouchi's hands were on the broom he was grabbing, and his chin was over his hands. He was gazing out, completely distracted from his original task. Yugi slapped him on his back, earning him a reaction. Jonouchi looked at him, surprised.

-If you go on with this it will be night and you still won't have finished sweeping. -Yugi said.

Today was their turn to clean up the classroom. Yugi had already finished his part, and he was waiting for Jonouchi.

-Your mind is on space today. -Added Yugi.

-Ah, no… -Jonouchi grabbed the broom and continued with his task.

-Don't you have to work today? You're gonna be late if you don't hurry up. -Commented Yugi.

Jonouchi, after taking a look at the clock they had on the classroom, started to work faster.

-Right! When did it get this late…? -Jonouchi said.

Yugi was sitting on a table, looking at his friend. He was kind of distracted that day too. It had been quite some time since the last day he saw Kaiba, and even if that shouldn't bother him, he was slightly upset because of it. "What's wrong with me…? There's nothing serious going on between us, anyways…", he thought, looking away.

As soon as Jonouchi had finished, he picked up his things quickly and waved Yugi off:

-See ya tomorrow! I'm in a hurry now. Sorry to have had you waiting for nothing…

-No, it's okay. I had nothing better to do. -Replied Yugi.

Jonouchi nodded as a reply and then left running. Yugi sighed.

-I should also get going… -He whispered to himself.

Jonouchi arrived to his apartment quite fast. He went to his room and changed clothes. Then he left the apartment running towards the pub.

When he arrived he greeted the boss quickly and started working. For some reason, that day he just wanted to finish as soon as possible and leave. His superior walked to him and commented:

-You're very hardworking today.

Jonouchi just nodded. To be honest, he was completely wrong. He was so distracted that he hadn't even heard what his boss had told him, but he was still able to work quickly.

From time to time, he lifted his gaze to the door, as he had heard someone coming in. At those moments he shook his head, annoyed of giving it a thought, and he tried to concentrate as much as possible on his work. Even if he tried to avoid it, the thought of that boy entering the pub always came to his mind… and he didn't understand it.

When he had ended his duty, Jonouchi waved everyone off and got out of the pub. At that moment he stood there, surprised to see someone out there, who seemed to be waiting for someone.

-…Kaiba? What are you doing here? -Asked Jonouchi, confused.

He hadn't seen him come in nor get out of the pub. Then, what was he doing there? Kaiba, who was with his arms crossed, looked at him and frowned.

-Ah, it's you. -He said, looking away- You were so focused on your work that you didn't see me get in.

That didn't calm Jonouchi down. How could he not have seen him…? He shook those thoughts away and frowned.

-Why does it have to be this pub?

-I don't think you should treat your customers this way. -Kaiba said, turning his back on him and starting to walk away.

Jonouchi pressed his lips. "He was standing here as if he was waiting for someone…", he thought. He felt the incomprehensible urge to follow him and stop him, but he held back. He looked away, frustrated for not understanding what was wrong with himself. "Whatever he does is not my business…", he thought, trying to believe in those words.

After standing there alone for a couple of minutes, the cold breeze of the night made him react, and he decided to go back, slowly, to his apartment.

 

 

 

 


	11. What is love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, A NEW EPISODE.  
> We're close to the end, so please have some more patience (I'm sorry I update so late).  
> More hurt feelings in this episode...

Episode 11: What is love?

 

Honda had gotten up especially early that morning. It had been hard, but the hope of doing something good motivated him to do it. He got ready quickly and walked out of his apartment as soon as he could. He felt impatience growing up as he walked closer to Ryuuji’s apartment, but he didn’t stop until he was next to the door. He stood there, waiting, looking at his watch from time to time, only to realize that maybe he had gotten up way too soon. Even so, he kept waiting, with his heart beating strongly.

When he heard how the door opened behind him, he turned around, pressing his lips. Ryuuji was staring at him, surprised. Honda looked back at him, wanting to explain himself, but words didn’t come out.

-…Honda? What are you doing here…? -Asked Ryuuji after a few moments.

-Ah, well, you see… I thought we could go to class together… if you want to… -Replied Honda, looking away, worried about his friend declining.

A few weeks had passed since that time Honda had apologized to Ryuuji for what happened. Ryuuji had asked him for some time to recover from it, and Honda thought that it was a good moment to try to fix everything. He knew he had to do what he could to retrieve their friendship.

Honda’s sudden shyness made Ryuuji smile, happy to see the other boy worried about him like that. He breathed in, trying to forget for a few moments what happened some time ago between them.

-Of course. Let’s go. -Ryuuji said, walking next to Honda.

Honda looked at him and felt how happiness ran all through his body. Ryuuji seemed to be happy to be with him, and that encouraged him to go on.

They started walking, both in silence, not knowing exactly what to say. Honda had the feeling that he had the responsibility of fixing that, while Ryuuji didn’t want everything to fall onto Honda’s shoulders.

With his gaze fixed on the floor, Honda said:

-Jonouchi has a new job, I don’t know if you’ve heard about it.

-Yeah, he told me about it. Looks like it’s working out well for him this time.

-Yeah. -Honda sighed- Things aren’t bad at all for him… And what about you? Did those guys stop bothering you?

Ryuuji looked at him, surprised. Honda was talking about that time when he had welcome Ryuuji into his apartment, when he was being followed… Ryuuji looked away, trying to forget about those persons.

-They haven’t showed up again after that day. Thanks for that. -He said.

Honda pressed his lips.

-You know you can count on me if it happens again. -He commented.

Ryuuji nodded slightly. The time he had passed in Honda’s apartment had been like a dream come true. Even so, he still believed that it had been precisely because of it that their friendship had ended like that; because he had got too close to the boy he liked, even knowing that Honda didn’t feel the same way.

But Honda’s intention was helping his best friend. When he saw that Ryuuji wasn’t replying he got a little worried, and he tried to carry the conversation in another direction:

-You can still make it.

Ryuuji looked at him, confused, not knowing what Honda was talking about. His friend smiled at him, trying to reassure him.

-Changing schools. The school year is about to finish, but I’m sure that your marks are good enough to get you out of Prism School. -Honda explained.

That surprised Ryuuji. Honda had noticed how he had been doing in that last test. He knew that was what worried Ryuuji the most. Prism School was the lowest school… and Ryuuji was one of the few who hadn’t given up. That school was full of people who had lost hope, but he knew that he had a different future waiting for him.

-Jonouchi is also giving his best, you know? -Honda commented- So you can’t give up.

A small smile appeared in Ryuuji’s lips, moved by his friend’s words.

-Thanks, Honda. I won’t give up.

* * *

 

Jonouchi had his cheek resting on one of his hands while he was looking outside the window, distracted. He wasn’t listening to Yugi calling to him, and he only reacted when his friend laid a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around to look at Yugi.

-You seem very distracted lately. That’s not like you at all. -Yugi commented.

-Eh? Ah… No, it’s nothing… -Mumbled Jonouchi, still a bit confused.

What was he thinking? He couldn’t believe that that idiot, Kaiba, had been in his mind for more than one second.

“Of course it’s not like me”, thought Jonouchi “Thinking about Kaiba isn’t like me. Besides, Yugi…”. He peeked at his friend, pressing his lips. Yugi had to know Kaiba better than Jonouchi. After all, they had an “intimate relationship”… Maybe it was a good moment to tell Yugi about what had happened in the pub…

He was going to do so, but then the classroom’s door opened, making both of them look at the two boys that had just walked in. Ryuuji and Honda were together again. A small smile appeared in Yugi’s lips.

-It looks like they’re doing better. -He said.

Jonouchi looked at them for a few moments, thinking, before getting up and go greet them. Then, he looked at Honda:

-Come here for a sec.

-Eh? Jonouchi? -Honda let himself be dragged by his friend, who had grabbed his wrist and was pulling him apart from the rest of the classmates.

Jonouchi breathed in and whispered to Honda, to make sure no one else heard them:

-What do you think about Ryuuji?

-…What? -Honda raised his eyebrows, not understanding what Jonouchi meant by that.

-You know, after what happened during summer… what do you think about him? Do you… do you like him? -Finally asked Jonouchi, looking away.

That question left Honda speechless, staying quiet for a few moments, not knowing what to say to that. Uncomfortable by the situation, Jonouchi looked at him again, waiting for the answer.

-Come on, tell me… -He insisted, whispering.

Honda pressed his lips and his hand went to his neck, feeling uncomfortable. He still felt bad for how he had reacted to Ryuuji’s confession. He was trying to fix it, and he couldn’t deny that he had been thinking about that during all that time, but…

-…I don’t know. -He finally said. Seeing Jonouchi’s unsatisfied expression, he added:- I don’t know, I don’t think I have faced it yet. I’m not so sure about how I feel. To me, he’s a very good friend. Why are you asking me this now, anyways?

-Ah, well, it’s nothing… I was just thinking… -Answered Jonouchi, trying to avoid the question.

Honda folded his arms.

-Do you like someone, Jonouchi?

Jonouchi opened his eyes widely and stopped whispering when he said:

-What?! What are you saying?!

Everyone in the classroom looked at Jonouchi, surprised. Honda wasn’t an exception.

-Jonouchi…? -He mumbled.

-Ah… Forget it… -Jonouchi lowered his gaze, walking away from Honda and getting out of the classroom.

He closed the door behind him and let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. “What’s wrong with me…?”, he thought.

* * *

 

Yugi leant next to Kaiba, with a smile of satisfaction on his face, and glared at the other man. Those moments were now something usual for them. It had been some time since the first time they did it, during that summer fireworks night. Even so, they couldn’t say they had grown closer. Their relationship was clearly established: nothing more than having sex.

Yugi looked at Kaiba while he started to get dressed, slowly, without noticing that he was staring at him. Yugi reached out to caress one of Kaiba’s arms, making him turn around to look back at him, slightly surprised by that gesture.

-Yugi? -He said, waiting for an explanation.

The other boy, though, only dragged Kaiba by his arm to get him closer and give him a kiss. A light, sweet kiss. A kiss that tried to convey what Yugi truly felt for Kaiba, even if he could never be able to say it out loud. The CEO, though, didn’t move, he didn’t reply to the kiss. He remained still, waiting for Yugi to move away.

When Yugi got a few centimeters away, they stared at each other, remaining close. Words were running through Yugi’s mind. He wanted to express himself, he wanted to say what he really felt. But words didn’t come out of his mouth. He knew that, anyway, it wasn’t a mutual feeling. At that point, he couldn’t tell him about it anymore. Not when he was the one to start all that situation, in the first place. But seeing him so close to him, it was hard to hold back… Even so, he couldn’t give in. He couldn’t give up his pride and just admit what he felt.

Kaiba finally got up to finish dressing himself up. Without looking at Yugi, he told him:

-What are you waiting for? Get up and leave. I’m busy, I can’t waste more time.

Yugi smiled slightly, still looking at Kaiba.

-Yeah, of course.

* * *

 

Jonouchi walked outside of the pub to have a short break. He stretched out his arms, yawning. It was being a busy night, full of costumers, so he was feeling tired. “I just want this day to end already and go home and sleep…”, he thought. The cold air hit his face, and he soon found himself shivering.

-Nights are getting colder, huh… -He said to himself.

-Huh?

Hearing a voice that sounded familiar to him, he turned around, surprised to see he was not alone. Then, his surprise soon turned into rage.

-You again?! -He said, pointing at Kaiba.

Kaiba frowned, pissed off at that reaction.

-Do you have to be this rude to others? -He said, starting to walk away.

Jonouchi, as annoyed as Kaiba was, grabbed him by the arm to try to stop him.

-Hey, stop right there! Are you going to this pub again?! -Jonouchi said, without being able to control himself.

Kaiba seemed to be losing his patience.

-How many times are you going to act like an idiot? I already told you, I’m a customer here. The owner will fire you if he finds out about this. -Explained Kaiba, getting away from Jonouchi’s grip.

Jonouchi didn’t know how to answer to that. He knew that he wasn’t acting as he should be, but the sight of Kaiba made him lose control of himself. He couldn’t control the hatred running through his body, the hatred he felt when he looked at him…

Kaiba was still standing there, waiting for Jonouchi to reply, to at least apologize. He folded his arms.

-What’s wrong with you, anyway? Don’t talk to me the next time you see me. Just stick to doing your job. -He said.

Those words hurt Jonouchi again. He looked back at Kaiba, frowning, wanting to talk back, to fight back, but words didn’t come out. He knew what the true source of that hatred was. At that moment, he wasn’t angry at Kaiba… he was pissed off by himself, by the way he was feeling. He breathed in and took a step forward. Kaiba frowned, but he didn’t move. He wouldn’t let anyone make him waver. Jonouchi grabbed him by the jacket to pull him closer… until their lips met.

Kaiba’s eyes opened widely. What was that supposed to mean? He pushed Jonouchi away as quickly as he realized what was happening. He frowned at him, this time truly angry.

-What are you doing?!

Jonouchi looked at Kaiba, almost as surprised as the other boy was. His cheeks were bright red, and his thoughts were a mess. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. He couldn’t… but a part of him told him that it was what he wanted. He looked away, feeling embarrassed. That reaction didn’t make Kaiba feel any calmer.

-I’m asking you something, you insolent. -His voice turned angrier as he spoke.

-I… I don’t know. -Mumbled Jonouchi- I just…

He was trying to think of something, of any possible explanation for what he had just done, but everything was a mess. His chest burnt. He looked at Kaiba, and all that situation felt too overwhelming for him to stand. He suddenly felt the need to cry, but he held it in.

-Forget about it. I… I’m sorry.

He quickly went inside of the pub again, to try to avoid having to give some explanation to Kaiba. He needed to think about his feelings.

* * *

 

 In Holo School, results were the most important thing. Everyone in there looked up to the person who always got the best marks in every test: Seto Kaiba.

Bakura peeked at Kaiba and then looked back at Marik.

-You’re doing pretty well, Marik. Don’t worry. -He said.

-It’s all thanks to you, you know. You helped me catching up. -Marik smiled.

Bakura smiled back at him, and then asked Marik a question that had been in his mind lately:

-Say, Marik, what are you going to do when you finish studying?

-Are you asking if I’m going to stay in Egypt or…? -Marik said, raising an eyebrow.

Bakura pressed his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed for being caught. He nodded lightly. Marik chuckled at that cute reaction.

-Well, you know… I want to be here. I don’t really want to leave… -He said, scratching the back of his head.

Bakura fixed his gaze on Marik, who looked back at him.

-I’ll try to get a job here, after I finish my studies. I want to be with you. -He added.

Bakura felt his cheeks warming, moved by Marik’s words. A shy smile appeared on his lips.

-I also want to.

-Just wait for me, okay? -Marik took Bakura’s hands, and gave them a light kiss, which made Bakura blush even more.

They both knew how hard it was for each other to get that close to someone. It was the first time they fell in love, and they wanted to treasure it. They knew it was going to be hard to be apart, but they wanted to do their best for each other.

-I really wish I could take you with me to Egypt. -Mumbled Marik, smiling.

-Marik… -Bakura looked at him, feeling slightly sad at those words.

-I’m joking. It’s okay. -Marik said, trying to light up the mood a bit.

Their fingers entwined, and they both looked down at their hands, knowing that the moment to part ways would arrive soon, and wishing that moment would last forever.

* * *

 

Yugi thought it would be a good moment to talk with Ryuuji, when he saw Honda getting up to run towards Jonouchi. He approached the black-haired boy and waved to him.

-How are things going lately? -He asked.

Ryuuji looked at his friend and sighed.

-Well… I guess things are better. At least I’m okay being around him. But I know I have no chance… -He explained, looking at were Honda was.

Yugi followed his gaze, glaring at Honda and Jonouchi.

-Don’t give up, Ryuuji. -He said- I don’t think all hope is lost.

It was strange to see Yugi encouraging someone. He usually didn’t really care much about other people’s relationship. He didn’t care about his own, after all. But he admired Ryuuji’s strength. He was surprised to see how strong Ryuuji was, how strong he had been at facing his own feelings. “I wouldn’t be able to do that, not in a million years..”, he thought.

Ryuuji rested his cheek in one of his hands, peeking at Yugi.

-Honda already rejected me, you know. He doesn’t like men. -He said.

-He has to come to terms with things. -Yugi chuckled lightly.

-Don’t tease me. -Ryuuji rolled his eyes.

He wouldn’t confess that, deep inside him, he still had some hopes. He just couldn’t give up.

-What about you, anyway? -Suddenly asked Ryuuji.

Yugi looked at him, slightly surprised.

-What?

-You don’t talk about yourself much, to be honest. Is there someone you like? -Ryuuji looked back at him, curious.

Yugi pressed his lips and looked away.

-…Not really.

-That doesn’t look like an honest answer. -Ryuuji smirked.

Yugi folded his arms, not replying to that. Kaiba suddenly came up to his mind. He began thinking about their situation. He knew it was nothing, it wasn’t a serious relationship. That was the truth, and he knew it wouldn’t be any other way. It was Kaiba, after all. It had been hard to get him to that situation, and now he really didn’t know how he truly felt about it.

Jonouchi and Honda suddenly approached them. Jonouchi looked at Yugi and pressed his lips. The thoughts of the last night’s events ran through his mind. And he felt the urge to…

-…Hey, Yugi. -He said, in a low voice.

Everyone looked at him.

-Yeah? -Yugi asked, raising his eyebrows.

-I gotta talk to you… in private. -Jonouchi looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed of that situation.

-Sure.

They both walked outside the classroom. Jonouchi pointed out that it still wasn’t a good place to talk, so they exited the building. Yugi looked at his friend, waiting for him to talk. Jonouchi scratched the back of his head, not sure of how to put his thoughts into words.

-You see… Kaiba… -He started.

That name took all of Yugi’s attention. He looked at Jonouchi, frowning, serious.

-Kaiba? -He repeated, wanting Jonouchi to continue.

Jonouchi lifted up his gaze, trying to focus on which words he would choose.

-I’ve met Kaiba a few times at the pub I’m working in. Looks like he’s a costumer there. -He explained.

Yugi nodded. He knew Jonouchi wouldn’t call him out just to say that. He knew there was more to it. It was strange for Jonouchi to be talking about Kaiba…

-Well, and… I think I’ve figured out something, after thinking about it for a while… -Jonouchi mumbled, feeling nervous.

-What is it? -Yugi insisted.

-I think I might… -Jonouchi cleared his throat- I might be interested on him.

Yugi pressed his lips.

-In what way?

-I… I might like him. Just a little bit… -Jonouchi said, without looking at his friend.

Yugi didn’t reply to that. He didn’t expect it. He didn’t know how to react to that kind of confession. He looked away, waiting for something more.

-The other day he was there and… I just… -Jonouchi continued, his next words coming out as a whisper:- I kissed him.

Yugi stopped there, staring at his friend. What had he just said? Jonouchi also stopped, but didn’t turn around to look at Yugi.

-I’m sorry.


	12. Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new episode !! Thanks for being so patient with my fic. Hope you enjoy it!

Episode 12: Pride

 

Yugi was laying on his bed, thoughts running through his mind. He hadn’t stopped thinking about what Jonouchi had told him. He kissed Kaiba. And he knew that Yugi had a “relationship” with Kaiba, even if it wasn’t a romantical one. He pressed his lips. He still didn’t know how he should have reacted when he heard that. The conversation came back to his mind:

_-I kissed him. -Jonouchi confessed- I’m sorry._

_-Come again? -Yugi raised his eyebrows, confused for what he just heard._

_Jonouchi turned around to look at him, with an expression full of regret._

_-I’m sorry, Yugi. I know you’re having… those… special moments with him. I didn’t meant to, but… -He made a pause, still not convinced of what he was going to say:- But I think I have fallen in love with that asshole…_

“What the hell”, thought Yugi “If you think of him as an asshole, why did you kiss him?”. He let out a heavy sigh. He felt so hurt. And he hated it. He hated that his emotions were being controlled by another person. He hated the fact that he had developed those feelings for Kaiba. At first, it all started as a game for him. He found Kaiba interesting, but he never thought it would get to that point. But as he started becoming closer to him, his feelings started to grow…

He suddenly remembered what Kaiba’s reaction had been, as Jonouchi had told him. He closed his eyes. Maybe he should tell Kaiba about what he felt… maybe he still had a chance. But he then smiled ironically to himself, remembering how much Kaiba hated Prism students. Yugi’s pride wouldn’t let him confess if he wasn’t absolutely sure he would get what he wanted. But it wouldn’t let him give up neither.

-I’m sorry, Jonouchi. -He said to himself- I’m not gonna let you have any advantage.

He knew Kaiba hated Jonouchi. Yugi was in another position, though. He wouldn’t give up easily.

* * *

 

Ryuuji was still surprised when he hung up the phone. Honda had called him to meet him in a few minutes, and spend the afternoon together. He smiled to himself, but deep down he felt a bit sad. “I don’t want to fall into the same mistake…”, he thought. He knew what he felt for Honda, and he knew what Honda’s answer was. He still wanted to keep his friendship, because he was the most important person for him. But it was hard to put his feelings aside when he was with him.

He let out a sigh and waited outside, hoping to spot Honda. When he saw his friend, he couldn’t hide a smile, happy to see him.

-That was fast. -Ryuuji said when Honda arrived next to him.

-Well, I was running all the way. -Honda replied, with a smile.

Oh, there he was again, giving Ryuuji even more details to fall in love with. Ryuuji looked away to hide his blush and said:

-Where do you want to go?

-Anywhere is fine. I thought maybe we could go watch a movie. You know, there’s this great superhero film at the theaters right now. -Honda answered, starting to walk.

Ryuuji followed him, smiling slightly at how happy Honda seemed. They walked to the theaters, and Honda left Ryuuji alone for a few moments to buy some popcorn. “I’m glad we’re in good terms again”, thought Ryuuji “We’re even going to the movies together…”. Then, he suddenly realized something. He felt his cheeks blushing. “This looks like… a date”, he thought. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside. It couldn’t be.

He froze when he felt something cold against his neck. With his eyes widely opened, he turned around, just to find Honda smiling back at him, with a cold soda in his hand and popcorns in the other.

-Hey! I didn’t know what else to get you, so… Since I saw you drank this in Jonouchi’s house once. -Honda said.

-Honda! Don’t do that again! -Ryuuji frowned, taking the soda.

Then, after a few seconds, both of them started laughing.

-Sorry, did I surprise you that much? -Honda asked.

-No, idiot, it’s just that it’s really cold. -Replied Ryuuji, smiling.

Continuing the conversation, they both got into the cinema room, walking towards their seats. When they sat down, Honda started saying:

-You watched the previous movies, right? This one looks so exciting. We’re reaching the most important part of the plot!

Ryuuji’s smile only widened. He loved seeing Honda so excited about something.

-Yes. I guess they put their all in this movie. -He replied.

-Of course! They always do.

The movie started, and they both kept quiet, all their attention put on the screen. Ryuuji felt really happy to be there with Honda. Time passed, and he couldn’t help but smile every time Honda let out a cheer, enjoying that movie to the fullest.

Ryuuji reached out to the popcorns, still focusing on the movie, when he felt a warmth that made him look at the popcorns, confused. Then, he saw Honda’s hand under his own hand, and he moved away, blushing. He looked at Honda, but he just gave him a smile, indicating that it was nothing important. Ryuuji looked again at the screen and pressed his lips, his mind now unable to focus on anything else than the touch of Honda’s hand.

He felt guilty because of thinking about that. He looked down at his own hands, his smile fading away from his face. “I shouldn’t be happy about it”, he thought. Honda didn’t like him, after all. He had to respect that, and not try to break their friendship with his feelings… He suddenly felt Honda’s hand again, this time poking his shoulder. He turned around to look at his friend, surprised by the gesture.

-Is something the matter, Ryuuji? -Honda asked, worried.

Ryuuji didn’t know what to say to that. He smiled slightly.

-No, it’s nothing. -He replied.

Honda grinned when he heard that and looked back at the screen.

-I’m glad to hear that. -He said.

Ryuuji couldn’t help but blush again at that. He felt his cheeks burning, and he looked away, trying to hide this from Honda. How could he avoid showing his feelings? How could he avoid feeling that way? Honda was… so kind. So unconsciously sweet. It was so hard for him to just hide all of his feelings and think of Honda as a friend… because he wanted to be more than friends.

 When the movie ended, they both walked out of the theaters. Honda was all excited, talking to Ryuuji about the film:

-I totally didn’t see this coming! This movie was such a good follow-up to the previous! I can’t wait for the next one to come up!

Ryuuji smiled at his friend.

-Yeah, it was great.

-More than great!

Ryuuji continued listening to Honda as they walked outside. Then, Honda suddenly stopped.

-It’s really cold… It’s pretty late now, huh? -He said, pressing his lips. He then looked at Ryuuji- Do you wanna go have something to eat?

Ryuuji nodded.

-Yes, I’m kind of hungry. -He answered.

-Then let’s go! I know this place where they have such good burgers… -He said, walking quickly to try to keep warm.

Ryuuji smiled widely, following Honda. “This sure feels like a date”, he thought. He hadn’t felt this happy in a very long time.

* * *

 

Jonouchi hung the phone up and let out a deep sigh. He had just finished talking with his sister, who was worried about his grades, since the school year would end soon and the results of the students getting to change of school would be announced. He frowned, feeling bad for letting down his sister’s expectations. He already knew he wasn’t going to make it. He stood there, thoughts running through his mind.

Everything was going so wrong. He had tried to change things, to make everything better, but he had failed again. Yeah, he had certainly got a job… but it looked like that was as far as he could get. It was only a temporary job… His grades weren’t getting any better, too. He fixed his gaze on the floor.

And there was Kaiba. Even if he knew that he had no chance with him, he couldn’t control his feelings. He didn’t even _want to_ have those feelings in the first place. He had tried to drive his thoughts about him away, but it was helpless. He always ended up thinking about him.

He pressed his lips, trying to hold his tears back, but he wasn’t feeling strong at all. One year after another, things only got worse. And now, he even felt guilty for showing his love to Kaiba. He didn’t know how to face Yugi from now on.

“We’re friends… and I knew what was going on. What the hell am I doing?”, he thought. He felt his knees weakening and he fell to the floor, his sight blurry because of the tears.

-I don’t know what to do…

* * *

 

Kaiba finished writing the document and leaned back on his chair, feeling tired of staring at the screen for such a long time. He looked blankly at the computer, his thoughts wandering. He then closed his eyes, resting his head on the chair, and let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t stop thinking about what happened with Jonouchi some days ago. He couldn’t believe that shithead had dared to do something like that. But that also reminded him of another thing…

He suddenly felt something above his eyes, the touch of someone covering his eyes with his hands so he wouldn’t be able to see. He frowned, confused. Those couldn’t be Mokuba’s hands, telling by the size… He then heard someone chuckling next to him, and he was easily able to tell who it was.

-…Yugi? What are you doing here? -He asked, obviously annoyed.

Yugi removed his hands and smirked when Kaiba looked at him, still frowning.

-Just thought it would be nice to come see you. -He replied.

-What did I tell you?  Ask me first…

Yugi interrupted him, already knowing that Kaiba would start his ranting:

-This couldn’t wait.

That surprised Kaiba, who didn’t know how to answer to that. “First Jonouchi, and now this… I’m not really in the mood for…”, he started thinking. His thoughts were stopped when he saw Yugi making space to sit on his desk, in front of him. He opened his eyes widely in surprise, and then frowned.

-What do you think you’re doing? -His voice showed that he had lost all of his patience.

But Yugi didn’t look like he was going to listen to Kaiba. He looked back at the CEO, seriously, and crossed his legs.

-I’ve been told that you have run into Jonouchi a couple of times. -He suddenly said.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, not seeing where this was headed.

-…I did. Not pleasant to me. -He replied.

Yugi smiled slightly.

-Thought so. -He said.

That wasn’t what Kaiba was expecting. He leaned forward, closer to Yugi, to try to intimidate him, and said:

-Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Did that dumbass explain anything to you?

Yugi was slightly surprised to see Kaiba bringing _that topic_ up to the conversation. He could easily guess that Kaiba had been thinking about it a lot lately. He knew Kaiba enough to see that he hated not to understand everything that happened around him; he needed to know, he needed to have an explanation to every question.

Yugi leaned back, to try to get away from Kaiba’s deep glare.

-I don’t think anyone but you two can know what’s going on. I wasn’t there, I don’t know what exactly happened. So? Did you like it? -He said, sarcastic.

Kaiba frowned again. Every word Yugi said only pissed him off even more. He didn’t understand why he had bothered coming there. Did he just want to mess with him? But that wasn’t like Yugi. He had always second intentions in everything he did.

-You know what I think about it, how I _feel_ about it. I hated everything about it. -He replied.

Yugi’s smile appeared again on his lips. He then approached Kaiba.

-I’m glad to hear that, to be honest.

Kaiba could feel that Yugi really meant what he just said. Yugi looked tired, like he had been worrying over something. But now, drawing closer to Kaiba, it seemed like all the pressure over his shoulders had just dropped. Kaiba held up Yugi’s gaze.

-I can’t see why it would. There’s nothing serious going on between us, and you know it. -Pointed out Kaiba, serious.

-Oh, certainly. -Yugi rested his hands over Kaiba’s shoulders, looking down at the CEO’s body- I was just worried that you might think of changing partners.

Kaiba couldn’t figure out what was making Yugi say those things. He couldn’t understand why those things would worry him. He pushed Yugi’s hands aside, annoyed by the touch.

-Now that you know about it, get out. I’m not in the mood for standing you today. I’m tired. -He said.

Yugi ignored his words and placed a soft kiss on Kaiba’s lips. He closed his eyes, trying to savor the sweet taste.

That gesture surprised Kaiba. That softness didn’t match with Yugi at all… He suddenly remembered how Yugi had also been like that the last time they had slept together. He was going to push Yugi away… but he then kissed him back. He didn’t know what was troubling Yugi, but he knew pushing him aside wouldn’t let him know anyway.

Yugi broke the kiss and smiled slightly, looking at Kaiba and staying close to him.

-How kind of you. -He whispered.

Kaiba didn’t bother to reply to that. He could feel Yugi’s voice wavering. For some reason, he wasn’t able to let his anger out and push Yugi back. That kiss seemed to have calmed him down, and that felt wrong for Kaiba.

Yugi then looked away, feeling embarrassed of that situation. It wasn’t like him at all to let his feelings get the best of him. He hadn’t showed Kaiba what he truly felt for him. He hadn’t been honest even with himself. But at that moment, all of his walls seemed to break down. He wasn’t feeling that strong.

-Kaiba, I… -He started.

The other man looked at him, now curious. It was the first time he ever saw Yugi like that. Deep down, he really wanted to hear whatever he had to say, even if he would never admit it. Yugi held in a sigh and looked back at the CEO, with a light smile over his lips.

-I’m your partner, don’t forget about it. -He said.

Kaiba knew that it wasn’t what Yugi truly wanted to say. It wasn’t that hard to notice, but he decided not to push him further. He just looked away, uncomfortable with that situation.

-Now leave. -He replied.

Yugi’s usual expression came back to his face when he heard that, and the next words he said came out with his usual voice:

-I have no reason to stay here any longer, anyways. -He said, getting down of the desk.

He leaned over Kaiba to kiss him one last time, but Kaiba didn’t kiss him back. Yugi pulled away and turned around, walking towards the door.

-Let’s enjoy ourselves the next time we meet. -He said, not looking at Kaiba.

-Call first. -Kaiba pointed out, frowning.

He watched as Yugi left with a chuckle, and pressed his lips when he heard the door closing behind him. He leaned back on the chair. He was feeling even more confused than before. He had never felt those things before… he had never felt that way for another person. And he refused to feel like that for Yugi. “It would be best if we stopped seeing each other”, he thought. He ran his fingers through his lips, remembering how Yugi’s lips felt, and frowned. He wouldn’t let himself develop any feelings for him.

 

 

 


	13. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally finished the new episode!!  
> Hope you like it, it's really close to the end!

Episode 13: Bittersweet

 

Bakura was sitting on the bed, with his hands over his lap. He could feel how his cheeks got red while he thought about the situation. His heart was pounding fast, and he had never felt that nervous before. He pressed his lips, while he heard how Marik was looking for something in the bathroom’s drawers. He looked around, feeling a bit shy. Marik’s bedroom, Marik’s bed. Everything smell of him, and he liked that. He loved feeling surrounded by him… He felt relaxed, at ease.

Marik came out of the bathroom, and Bakura could sense in his quick breathing that he was nervous too. They looked at each other until Bakura couldn’t avoid looking away, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Marik cleared his throat as he approached him. He had something on his hand, and he left it on top of the nightstand. He sat beside Bakura, and caressed his hand lightly. Bakura saw how their fingers entwined each other, probably trying to make him feel safe. Bakura smiled at that gesture. Marik always worried about him.

-If you don’t want to do it… -Marik started.

Bakura shook his head in denial, and looked at the boy sitting next to him.

-I want to. –He replied.

Marik smiled back at him and kissed him softly, tenderly. They kept kissing each other, without saying anything, knowing that if they did they would get shy. Marik took his hand to Bakura’s nape, caressing him slowly. Their eyes were shut, wanting to feel that moment, wishing it could last forever… because they knew that in a couple of weeks Marik would have to leave. The school year was almost over. Bakura got closer to Marik. “I want to be always by his side”, he thought. He wanted to be even closer to him.

They laid in bed, looking at each other, and Bakura let out a chuckle. Their fingers were entwined again. Bakura approached Marik until their noses met.

-I love you. –He whispered.

Marik smiled widely.

-Me too.

* * *

 

Honda was waiting outside Jonouchi’s apartment. He was distracted, with his hands on his coat’s pockets, when his friend approached him. And he didn’t look very good. Honda frowned.

-Dude, you okay? –He said.

Jonouchi showed a small, sad smile, and looked away.

-I’ve seen better days. –He replied.

Honda pressed his lips. They started walking, both of them quiet, until Honda decided to start talking:

-You know you can count on me…

Jonouchi shrugged his shoulders.

-This situation is my own fault. I’ve done something… that I shouldn’t have done. –He said, lowering his head.

-Believe me, I feel you. –Mumbled Honda, almost to himself.

Jonouchi sighed.

-I don’t want to… feel what I’m feeling. –He whispered.

Honda looked at him, worried about his friend.

-Because of yourself…?

That question made him feel uncomfortable. It’s true that, at first, he had thought it was impossible he had fallen for Kaiba. It couldn’t be. He had thought that maybe it was just interest… But at that point he had already noticed what he truly felt for him. And there was no sense denying it. But Yugi…

-Kaiba… is not interested in me. –He answered.

Honda kept staring at him, seeing the sadness in Jonouchi’s eyes. A couple of days ago, Jonouchi had told him what he felt for Kaiba, and Honda hadn’t known how to help him… just like at that moment.

-He… hates me. –A small smile appeared in Jonouchi’s lips.

Honda held back a sigh.

-I don’t think he hates you. You know he has that prideful attitude because he’s a Holo student, but I don’t think you have to overthink it. It’s a rich kid’s business. –He commented.

Jonouchi thought about those words, remembering how Yugi had been able to approach Kaiba. “But anyway, I can’t be with him”, he added in his mind. He didn’t want to throw away his friendship with Yugi. Honda was still looking at Jonouchi, trying to understand how he felt. Lately, he had also been quite confused. Then, as he had read his mind, Jonouchi looked back at Honda and said:

-Things are going better between you and Ryuuji.

-Yeah… I still can’t believe I’ve done something like that. –Honda said, pressing his lips when he remembered what happened the night of the fireworks.

Jonouchi felt the sadness in his voice, and looked back at the ground.

-…How do you feel about him? –He asked.

Honda looked at him, confused. He took one hand to his nape, not knowing exactly what to say. How did he really feel…?

-I just… don’t want to do something like that to him ever again. He’s my best friend. And I didn’t behave like a friend.

Jonouchi thought about Yugi. Behaving like a friend… he hadn’t done that either. He had got too close to Kaiba, forgetting about Yugi…

-You’re right. –He mumbled to himself.

* * *

 

Yugi closed the door behind him and let his school bag fall to the floor, resting his back on the door. The school year was almost over, and it seemed like he had got good grades. Even so, he couldn’t avoid thinking about the reason why he had ended up in Prism school. He stared at the ceiling. All of his friends had understandable reasons, but, what about him? He didn’t feel like he could change schools. Even if they asked him to, he should probably refuse. And he thought about Kaiba. What would he think about it? Yugi smiled at that thought. “He doesn’t need any more reasons to hate me”, he thought. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Things weren’t going well.

He remembered the first days when he had approached Kaiba. How unreachable he had seemed, how far he thought he was. And yet, now they were in that situation. What had started like a game for Yugi, now wasn’t anymore… and that was what hurt him the most. He didn’t care about changing schools at that point anymore, he hadn’t even worried about his grades. He was worried about what he felt for Kaiba. He had tried to convince himself that all of that was just temporary, that he only did it to entertain himself, but now… now he felt something for him, a strong feeling.

A half-smile appeared on his face. A lot of stuff he had never thought about had happened that year. At that moment, he felt how his phone vibrated on his jean’s pocket. He sighed. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now. He took the phone out of the pocket and unlocked the screen. Jonouchi. He frowned, remembering what Jonouchi had told him a few days ago. What did he want now?

-Yeah? –He said, picking the call up.

-Ah, Yugi? –Jonouchi’s voice showed some nervousness- I wanted to… apologize for the other day.

-…What do you mean?

Jonouchi kept quiet for some seconds. Yugi could feel it was hard for him to talk about it. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Jonouchi still liked Kaiba…

-Forget about what I told you. Kaiba… I don’t care about him, honestly.

That didn’t make Yugi feel any better about that topic. Obviously he cared.

-I mean… -Jonouchi continued, trying to look for the right words- …I’m not going to try anything with him.

-Why not? –Yugi smiled- Don’t you like him, after all?

-I don’t… stand any chance.

Yugi kept quiet, thinking about it. Jonouchi was being honest. Jonouchi had always been honest with him… and now, was he crying?

-I’m sorry about what happened a few days ago. See you in class. –After talking fast, Jonouchi hung up.

Yugi stood there, with the phone still close to his ear for a few seconds, confused. Jonouchi had just given Kaiba up, but he didn’t understand why. To Yugi’s eyes, personal satisfaction was the most important thing… But for Jonouchi, there was something else, something more important than that. “We’re friends”, thought Yugi. From the first day he had gone to Prism School. He sighed again, putting his phone into his pocket again.

-Stupid…

* * *

 

Honda had just finished his part-time job and he was driving his motorbike to his apartment. He had a serious expression on his face, thoughtful. He had been thinking about something since he had seen Jonouchi for the last time… What Honda truly felt, was it friendship? “Of course it is”, he thought “I’ve rejected Ryuuji… because I don’t feel the way he does”. But even so, something told him that he wasn’t right about it. And he didn’t know why. Every time he was with Ryuuji, he felt this urge to stay always near him. When he had found out about their classmates bothering him, he had felt impotent for not having found about it sooner. He wanted to be next to him, making sure he was alright…

He pressed his lips. Those thoughts only got him more confused. When Ryuuji confessed his feelings to him, he hadn’t thought about all of this stuff. He didn’t think about wanting to stay by his side… He thought that he had crossed an invisible line that he shouldn’t have crossed. He thought that being next to Ryuuji didn’t mean that… “I’ve been looking for the best for him, because I care about him… And is that the best? I… Do I deserve to be with him?”, he was surprised to find himself thinking about something like that.

He stopped his motorbike in a parking that was in front of his apartment. He took his helmet off and stood there, still on his bike, for a few moments. Why had he thought about “deserving” to be by his side? He left the helmet over his knees and looked at the sky. He sighed. “Ryuuji”, he thought. Of course he wanted to be by his side. It was what he wanted the most in the world. Would Jonouchi feel the same way for Kaiba? And Yugi? He couldn’t know, but he could finally tell what he truly felt.

“Love, huh?”

* * *

 

Ryuuji ran towards Honda, who was standing in front of a vending machine, in one of the high school’s corridors, to grab a drink. He arrived next to him short of breath, due to running and excitement, which made it hard to speak slowly.

-Honda!

His friend looked at him, taking his soda can.

-Ryuuji? What happened? –He asked, surprised.

-Today is the day they published who will get transferred to Holo School! –He exclaimed.

-Oh, right! Have you seen it? –Honda knew that he wouldn’t make it, so he hadn’t worried about checking it out.

-I’ve made it! I’m in! –Ryuuji smiled, trying to catch his breath between each sentence- I’m going to Holo!

Honda almost jumped out of excitement. He put his hand over Ryuuji’s shoulder, smiling.

-You did it! I knew you could! –He said, feeling almost as happy as Ryuuji for the news.

Ryuuji’s smile got wider when he saw Honda’s joy. He nodded quickly. He had made it. All of his efforts were worth it. Then he remembered how that wasn’t Honda’s situation. He looked at him, worried.

-What about you…?

Honda shrugged his shoulders, looking away, feeling a bit uncomfortable with that question.

-Someone’s gotta keep company to Jonouchi. –He said.

And Ryuuji knew what that meant. He wouldn’t be in the same class as Honda’s… Ryuuji felt Honda’s hand over his head, messing his hair up in a friendly way.

-Don’t worry about it! We’ll be in touch. Did you think I would leave you alone just because you changed schools?

Ryuuji looked back at him, feeling how his heart pounded faster. How unable he felt of stopping loving him as much as he did… Honda’s hand fell from his head to some hair locks that fell to one side. He caressed them, and his fingers brushed against his cheek, making Ryuuji look at his friend, surprised, not knowing how to react to that. He had touched him by accident, but it had been such a soft gesture for Ryuuji… He looked away, uncomfortable for feeling that way. Honda took his hand away when he saw Ryuuji’s reaction.

-Oh, I… I’m sorry.

Ryuuji shook his head. They kept quiet for a few moments, Ryuuji staring at the ground, until he felt again Honda’s hand, this time over his left shoulder. He looked at his friend, who was now standing closer to him.

-…Honda? –He whispered, confused at the unusual silence of the other boy.

Honda didn’t answer. His hand was tightly grabbing Ryuuji’s shoulder: this time it wasn’t an accident. He took the hand he had free to Ryuuji’s cheek, getting closer to him, until their faces were only centimeters apart from each other. Ryuuji could feel his cheeks were red. And then, he moved his face away. His expression showed confusion.

-…You shouldn’t be doing this… -He mumbled.

His voice was trembling. He felt so troubled. He loved Honda, he couldn’t deny that, but he felt like that wasn’t right… He had been rejected by him, after all. It was true that things were going better lately, they had been alone together to the cinema, and to many other places, but that didn’t mean… that _couldn’t_ mean that Honda loved him back.

Honda pressed his lips, feeling guilty of Ryuuji’s reaction.

-I know that… I behaved really bad. But this time… -He said- This time I’m sure.

Ryuuji looked back at him, not fully believing in what he had just heard.

-What?

Honda looked away. He felt how at every second that passed his confidence vanished away. He was starting to think that it was a terrible idea, that he was making another big mistake. How could he have thought about doing something like this? Ryuuji could end up thinking that he was messing with his feelings…

-…I’m sorry… about what happened the night of the fireworks. –He started- The reaction I had… was because I didn’t expect it. I would have never thought about something like that happening… But…

He stopped, trying to look for the right words. Ryuuji kept staring at him, waiting to hear the rest, with his heart pounding strongly, and thinking that all of that was just a dream.

-…But I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve consider it. And I’ve come to the conclusion… -Honda continued, not looking back at Ryuuji- Well, that I…

He sighed. He wasn’t able to say it. He wasn’t able to hurt Ryuuji again, and he felt like being with him would only hurt him even more.

-I’m sorry. –He mumbled.

Ryuuji took him by the chin, making Honda to look back at him. He was worried.

-…Honda. I don’t want to… make you feel uncomfortable for what happened. You’re my best friend. –He said- Yes, I feel what I feel for you, but… that’s not going to change our friendship. Don’t push yourself…

-I’m not pushing myself. –Honda interrupted him.

Ryuuji let go of his chin, confused. Honda didn’t look away this time.

-What I’m saying is what I truly feel… I’ve been misunderstanding my own feelings. –He said.

Ryuuji pressed his lips. How he wished he could make his heart beat more slowly.

-It can’t be… -He mumbled.

-I’m sorry. –Honda took his hand to his nape, uncomfortable.

Tears appeared on Ryuuji’s eyes, but he smiled. He just couldn’t believe it. Honda looked at him, worried.

-Hey, uh… Are you okay? I’ve hurt you, right? Oh, damn, I… I’m sorry, I just… -He said, not knowing what to do to make him stop crying.

Ryuuji chuckled, shaking his head.

-That’s not it. I just can’t believe that today it’s being the best day I ever had. –He said.

Honda noticed how he was blushing. He looked away, feeling embarrassed.

-What… What the hell are you saying? –He covered his mouth with one hand, trying to hide his shaking lips from Ryuuji.

But Ryuuji couldn’t stop smiling. He had never thought someone could feel as happy as he was feeling. He grabbed Honda’s hands, making him look back at him, and he approached him until their lips met.

“I love you”, he thought.

 


	14. True feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of Holographic Dreams! Thanks for reading the story until the end. Through all this year of writing Holographic Dreams, I realized that the result isn't what I had planned at first, so I will probably continue this story sometime in the future! Maybe re-writing it, maybe writing a second part. In any case, the story is closed for now.
> 
> Hope you like this episode! (E-rated episode ahead!)

Episode 14: True feelings

 

Jonouchi walked outside after finishing cleaning up the pub. He looked at the time on his phone. It was later than usual. He looked around, folding his arms before his chest, since he was shivering. It was another cold night. “Kaiba hasn’t shown up today neither, huh…”, he thought. Of course not. He probably wouldn’t go to that pub ever again, at least while Jonouchi worked in there. He sighed. He wanted to apologize for what he had done, but he couldn’t find a chance. Showing up in his house would probably annoy him…

He looked again at his phone and then started walking. Did he really have a choice? He walked as fast as he could, feeling both cold and nervous. He tried to suppress the urge to cry he had been feeling. When he arrived in front of Kaiba’s Corporation building he stopped, thoughtful. Would he still be in the office that late? “I hope so”, he thought “I’m not doing this again”.

He talked to the guards, and it took him some time to convince them that he had to talk with Kaiba about school things. What else could he say so they would let him in? He took the elevator followed by some guards, who guided him to Kaiba’s office, knocking first on the door. When Kaiba answered, Jonouchi walked in alone, doors being closed behind him. Kaiba finished typing before looking at the boy standing in front of the door. He frowned.

-What are you doing here? –His voice was cold, and it almost made Jonouchi regret going there.

The blonde boy looked away, feeling awkward of that situation. Going to visit Kaiba so late by his own will. Who would have thought that day would come?

-Well, you see, I… -He tried to find the right words, but he was feeling too intimidated by Kaiba’s glare.

He cleared his throat, as he saw how Kaiba grew impatient.

-I came to apologize for what I did the other night. –He finally said.

Kaiba closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, thinking about Jonouchi’s words.

-Have you come here at this time just for that? –He asked.

Jonouchi chuckled nervously. “Oh, crap”, he thought. He nodded.

-I’ll be leaving now… -He said.

Kaiba sighed. Jonouchi already had his hand over the doorknob when Kaiba spoke:

-Why did you do it?

The Prism student stopped, thinking about those words. Kaiba couldn’t tell how much he regretted having done that. Things would have been way easier if he had just kept his feelings to himself.

-…Isn’t it obvious? –He said, sadness showing up through his voice.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, waiting for further explanation. Jonouchi pressed his lips at the silence.

-…It’s because I love you, asshole.

He closed the door behind him, giving no time for Kaiba to answer. He pressed his back to the door, letting out a sigh. “I’m not so sure I should have said that”, he thought “But now it’s over. This is all I had to tell him…”. No more Kaiba. He closed his fists tight, and started walking towards the elevator, holding his tears back.

* * *

 

Kaiba walked out of the Holo School just to find Yugi standing there, next to the fences, waiting for him. He stopped, staring at the boy. He wasn’t smirking as usual. He was just standing there, looking back at him, without moving an inch. Kaiba frowned. He approached Yugi, grabbed him by one arm and dragging him out of people’s sight.

-How many times do I have to tell you not to come here? I don’t want others to find out about us. I’ve already talked to you about this! –He said, pushing him against a wall, where no one was around.

-Find out about what? –Said Yugi. Anger showed up through his voice, anger being held back- What are we, anyways? We’re nothing, Kaiba. There’s nothing serious going on between us.

Kaiba’s frown didn’t disappear. Why was he bringing that up, at that time?

-What’s wrong with you?

Yugi looked away. _What was wrong with him?_ He wished he could answer that question. The smirk Kaiba was so used to appeared on Yugi’s lips.

-What’s wrong with _us_ , Kaiba? How long are we going to fool around? –He asked, putting his arms around Kaiba’s neck and bringing him closer.

Kaiba’s expression didn’t change. They stared at each other, both of them serious.

-I thought this was what you were looking for. –Kaiba said- You were the one who set up all of this stupid situation.

-That was the only way to get your attention, yes. –Yugi pointed out.

Those words confused Kaiba. What the hell was he talking about? He then remembered that trip they did, the trip where both Prism and Holo students went to. Yugi had been always looking after him, trying to provoke him… Was he already planning all of this back then?

His attention was dragged back to Yugi, feeling his hands caressing his nape. Kaiba frowned again.

-And what else do you want? What are you expecting to get from all of this? –Kaiba asked.

“Your love”, thought Yugi. He didn’t answer the question. He just kept staring at Kaiba, and a smile appeared on his lips. How could he tell him the reason why he was trying to get his attention so hard? He would probably leave him right away. Yugi looked at the ground, suddenly losing the confidence he had. He couldn’t show that side of him to Kaiba. He didn’t want to lose the little he had accomplished.

-I’m not so sure. I thought maybe you could find it out by yourself. –He answered after a few moments.

Kaiba tried to read Yugi’s expression, to understand what he truly meant with those words. But it was impossible. He held in a sigh and grabbed Yugi’s arms to take them off his body. He looked coldly at Yugi.

-I’m not here to follow your stupid games, Yugi. We both agreed to do this. If you want to stop it, we always can. –He said.

Oh, how Yugi wished Kaiba could feel the pain those words caused him. But he hid those thoughts with another smile.

-I don’t want it to stop.

After saying this, he grabbed Kaiba’s jacket, pulling him closer, and kissed him roughly. His hands went to Kaiba’s neck, surrounding it, to avoid him trying to get away. He kissed him over and over, biting his lips, licking them. Kaiba rested his hands on the wall, next to Yugi, and he felt how Yugi’s knee pressed around his crotch. He frowned and put one hand on Yugi’s chest, trying to pull him away. Yugi broke the kiss, and they both looked at each other, panting. Yugi chuckled, which only made Kaiba feel more confused. What was he doing?

-Oh, are you afraid people might see us, here outside? –Yugi said, mockingly, his hands caressing Kaiba’s neck.

-Yugi, stop your little games. –Kaiba’s voice was cold, but that didn’t surprise Yugi.

-They’re not “little games”.

“Not anymore”, he added in his mind. He tried to kiss Kaiba again, but the CEO pulled Yugi’s arms away and walked a few steps back.

-You’re being more strange than usual. –Kaiba commented.

Yugi looked away, smirking. Yeah, he couldn’t deny that. Things had been so strange for him lately. It was like he was afraid. Afraid of losing Kaiba to anyone… He felt like he needed to keep Kaiba close… even if Kaiba didn’t want anything with anyone. But that included him, and that was the main reason why he was afraid.

He put his hands down. How sad he felt, how sad it was for him to realize he had fallen for someone so much. He would have never thought he could feel all of that for somebody. But now, Kaiba was always in his mind. And he didn’t know how to react to that. It was the first time he felt that way.

Kaiba was still looking at him. He let out a sigh and grabbed Yugi by one arm, starting to walk and dragging him behind. That surprised Yugi, who looked at the CEO.

-…What are you doing? –He asked.

-Let’s go home. I refuse to keep talking here. –Kaiba replied.

And Yugi followed him, keeping quiet for the rest of the walk. He thought about that situation. He was making a fool out of himself. What was wrong with him? “It’s not like me to act like this…”, he thought. How funny how a person could affect you so much.

When they arrived, Yugi was surprised to see that they hadn’t gone to the office. It was a private house. He looked at Kaiba, confused. “His private house…?”, he thought. Kaiba didn’t look back at him, letting go of Yugi’s arm.

-Why are you standing there? Let’s go. –He said, walking towards the main door.

Yugi followed him, without saying a word. It was strange for Kaiba to see Yugi so quiet, not talking back. There was something definitely wrong with him.

They walked inside the house, a big, spacious house with white walls, white furniture… Yugi looked around him, amazed. He wouldn’t have expected any less from Kaiba. The CEO closed the door behind them and rested his back against it, staring at Yugi and folding his arms before his chest.

-So? Are you going to explain what’s wrong? –He started.

Yugi looked back at him. They were a few steps away from each other.

-I’ve said what I had to say. –He replied.

Kaiba sighed.

-Look, Yugi, I don’t have the time to follow your stupid games. I have better things to do. But if we’re going to keep doing this, we need to get all of the meaningless problems out of the way. –He explained.

“Meaningless, huh?”, Yugi thought, looking away.

-I don’t know why you keep asking, when you already know the answer. –Yugi said.

Those words surprised Kaiba, who raised an eyebrow.

-How is it so?

Yugi looked back at him, pressing his lips.

-Come on, I thought you were more intelligent than that. Can’t you guess that I’m trying to tell you that I love you? –He said.

Kaiba’s lips moved, but he didn’t say a word. Yugi smirked, fixing his gaze to the floor. Yeah, he had expected that kind of reaction. Had it been the same way when Jonouchi kissed him?

Kaiba frowned, confused. It couldn’t be.

-But you said that it was only to satisfy yourself. That you… -He said, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t true.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders.

-Yeah, that’s how it was at first. Or maybe not, actually. I might have said that just so you would accept to do it. Cause I think you’ve caught my attention a long time ago. –He explained.

Kaiba looked back at him. What was he talking about?

-You tricked me into it?

-I don’t think that’s what happened. You accepted. –Yugi held his gaze, keeping calm, even though his heart was being crushed into pieces.

-I accepted without knowing the truth. –Kaiba pointed out.

-By that time I didn’t even know the truth myself. –Yugi said, frowning- How can you expect me to tell you when I still didn’t know what I was feeling?

Kaiba looked away. He didn’t know how to answer to that. But all of that felt so wrong… He had accepted to satisfy his body, to get some pleasure out of Yugi. He had forced himself to just have physical pleasure, never allowing himself to feel anything romantic for him… But what about Yugi? What were his intentions?

Yugi sighed, and Kaiba looked back at him, confused.

-You know, Kaiba, you can’t be closing yourself to others. Falling in love is something natural. –He said.

-What are you implying? –Kaiba let out his anger through his voice- I don’t want to fall for some Prism student. Why should I, anyways?

-You _don’t want to_. –Yugi pointed out- But you can’t choose, Kaiba. It just happens.

The CEO frowned at his words. “What?”, he thought. Yugi approached him slowly, waiting for a reaction.

-This was the first time, right? The first time you let someone get so close to you. –He said.

Kaiba looked away. So what…? “It’s true it’s not like me at all”, he thought “But that doesn’t mean anything. We both agreed to this”.

Yugi stopped some centimeters away from Kaiba, glaring at him.

-I can… I could get to Holo School if I wanted to, you know. Would that make you feel better? Would you date me then? –His voice was low.

-What are you talking about? Why should I date you? –Kaiba looked back at him.

Yugi smirked.

-You told me to stay playing little games. That’s what I’m doing. I like you, Kaiba. I want to go out with you. Will you do it if I stop being a Prism School? Is that all you care about? –He said.

Kaiba looked away, not being able to face him.

-What’s wrong with you… -He replied.

He was too confused. He didn’t know how to react. But he knew, deep down, that Yugi was right. He had forced himself not to fall in love with Yugi. But he didn’t hate him as he did before. He was starting to enjoy being with him. Could that be… love? Was he falling for him? “What nonsense is this?”, he thought.

Yugi rested his hands on Kaiba’s shoulders, making him look back at him.

-I want to be with you. –He whispered.

-Well, I…

Before Kaiba could finish his sentence, Yugi kissed him. This time, it was a soft kiss. Kaiba was going to push him away, but Yugi’s grip on his shoulders made him remain still. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to break the kiss. Yugi kissed him over and over, always tender, sweet kisses. When he broke the kiss, he kept close to Kaiba and whispered:

-We’re alone here, right?

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, confused.

-…So? –He asked.

Yugi smirked again, and Kaiba pressed his lips.

-Would you, Seto Kaiba, continue to have meaningless sex over and over with a person you hate? –Yugi said.

-I don’t know why you’re bringing all of this today. –Kaiba folded his arms again.

-Because I’m tired of fooling around too. –Yugi kissed him again.

He took his arms to Kaiba’s neck, and this time Kaiba gave in. He started walking, carrying Yugi with him, until they arrived to a bedroom. Kaiba closed the door behind them before starting kissing Yugi.

“Could he be right?”, he thought. He wasn’t sure anymore. He just wanted to put some sense into all of that. He wanted it to make sense, in any possible way. And could Yugi be right? He didn’t know how love felt. He didn’t know what Yugi was talking about. But he had realized that feeling he got everytime he was around Yugi, and he had fought it back everytime, trying to convince himself. But maybe... maybe that was what Yugi meant. “Don’t fight it back”.

Yugi fell to the bed, and smiled when he saw Kaiba getting on top of him.

-This is not meaningless sex anymore, right? –Yugi whispered.

-…Shut up. Don’t make me overthink it. –Kaiba got closer to Yugi’s neck, kissing it, so Yugi couldn’t see his expression.

-I need to know. –Yugi insisted.

Kaiba let out a sigh. He didn’t move as he spoke:

-...Yes, Yugi. I definitely feel something for you.

Yugi let out a chuckle, and he caressed Kaiba’s hair.

-I love you, Kaiba.

He didn’t get a reply to that. Kaiba started kissing his neck again. Yugi’s hands kept caressing Kaiba’s hair, and he pressed his lips when he felt Kaiba’s tongue over his neck. The CEO started unbuttoning Yugi’s shirt, letting it fall to one side of the bed, and then began placing kisses all over his chest.

Yugi smiled. It was the first time Kaiba was being that soft. Could it be his way of saying “I love you too”?

Yugi arched his back to make their lower parts touch, and Kaiba stopped to look at him. Yugi smirked.

-I want it. –He said.

He sat down on the bed and got closer to Kaiba, their bodies against each other. He unbuttoned Kaiba’s shirt, tossing it aside, and ran his fingers all through his back, until he reached his pants. A slight smile appeared in Kaiba’s face.

-You’re quite into the mood, huh?

Yugi’s smile only widened. They kissed again, this time a passionate kiss. Their tongues met, and Yugi let Kaiba dominate the kiss. He felt the CEO’s hands running all through his body, caressing it, pulling him as close as he could. They felt how they got hard, their lower parts agains each other. Yugi started undoing Kaiba’s pants, and he broke the kiss to move towards his boxers. He kissed it, without removing his underwear, and Kaiba chuckled.

-Yugi?

The other boy smiled and looked at Kaiba. He pulled down his boxers and started caressing his member, at a slow pace. Kaiba’s hands moved to Yugi’s hair, and Yugi’s lips moved closer to the CEO’s dick, licking it slowly. He started sucking it, and he felt Kaiba’s hands caressing his hair softly. He closed his eyes, and he soon started to hear Kaiba’s light moans. He wasn’t holding back as much as the first time. His pace was slow, but this time Kaiba didn’t rush him. He started going faster, his hands on the base, and Kaiba arched his back to try to get all of his length on Yugi’s mouth. Before letting him cum, Yugi pulled away, panting. He looked at Kaiba, noticing he was also trying to catch his breath. He smirked.

He sat again on the bed, kissing Kaiba softly, and he felt how Kaiba’s hands started to undo his pants. When he pulled his underwear down, Yugi took Kaiba’s right hand and brought it closer to his mouth, licking his fingers. Kaiba looked at him. Yugi made sure to wet them well, and then he let go of his hand, smiling.

-This time I want you to prepare me. –He said.

He put his arms around Kaiba’s neck, and got closer to him, almost sitting on his legs. Kaiba moved his right hand to Yugi’s butt, until he reached his hole. He got one finger in, making Yugi press his lips and frown at it. When Yugi got used to it, Kaiba added another one, moving them around. Yugi’s hands grabbed Kaiba’s shoulders tightly, feeling how his legs got weaker. He started to pant, as Kaiba’s fingers kept going. Kaiba fingered him until he got Yugi to moan out loud, and then smirked to himself, pleased to hear him. When the CEO took his fingers out, Yugi looked back at him, licking his own lips. He kissed him lightly before pushing him back to make him fall to the bed, this time Yugi sitting on top of him. Kaiba smirked at his intentions.

-That’s how you want it this time? –He said.

Yugi nodded. He moved until he felt Kaiba’s dick rubbing against his entrance. He pressed his lips, but he couldn’t hold back a moan when he got it inside of him. He waited until he got used to the feeling, and then he looked at Kaiba, who was also pressing his lips, pleased by the view. Kaiba’s hands caressed Yugi’s legs, and Yugi started to move, slowly riding him. Quiet moans came out of his mouth, and he closed his eyes as he felt Kaiba’s length going deeper inside of him. Kaiba grabbed him by his hips, to help him move, and started moaning too when Yugi went faster.

-Ah, Kaiba… -Yugi bit his lips, embarrassed of letting his name out loud.

But hearing that excited Kaiba. He started to move too, thrusting against Yugi, which made it hard for him to hold back his moans. He moved one hand to Yugi’s dick, starting to touch him, moving faster as the thrusts increased.

-Please… Ah! Ah, Kaiba…

Yugi’s moans hid Kaiba’s, and the CEO increased the pace, seeing how Yugi’s body trembled. Yugi came first, letting out a loud moan with it, and Kaiba held him tight by the hips so he wouldn’t lose his balance. Kaiba felt his dick twitching, and he tried to pull it out before coming inside of Yugi. A bit of his cum dripped from Yugi’s entrance, and he pressed his lips at the sight. They both tried to catch their breath, panting. They looked at each other, and a smirk appeared on Yugi’s lips.

-I love you. –He whispered.

* * *

 

Marik looked at his luggage, pressing his lips. He was sitting on the airport, waiting for his flight, and couldn’t help but feel sad. He felt Bakura’s hand over his own, and turned to look at him. The white haired boy was smiling.

-It’s alright, Marik. We’ll keep in touch. –He said.

Time had passed quickly. They had finished the classes one week ago, and now Marik had to fly back to Egypt. He held Bakura’s hand tightly. How he wished he could never let go.

-Yes. –He replied- I’m going to miss you so much…

Bakura got closer to him and placed a tender kiss on his forehead.

-Me too.

Their fingers entwined, and their kept close to each other. Marik kissed him lightly, and Bakura’s smile widened. He was so thankful for the time spent with him… And Marik too. He remembered the first days, when he arrived there. How afraid he was of not being able to make friends. But, in the end, he had found such an important person for him. He loved Bakura so much.

-I’ll definitely come to visit as soon as I can. –He said.

Bakura chuckled.

-It’s quite expensive, you know. –He replied.

-But I want to see you.

They looked at each other, and kissed again. Then, they heard a voice through the speakers, and Marik recognized his flight number. He got up, looking at Bakura.

-I have to go… -He said.

Bakura pressed his lips. He got up and they hugged each other tightly, being as close as they could. They kissed each other again, they said “I love you” to each other again… and, even though they had promised not to cry, they ended up crying.

* * *

 

Ryuuji, Honda, Jonouchi and Yugi had met in Jonouchi’s house to throw a small party, celebrating Ryuuji’s admission in Holo School. Honda had brought some alcohol, and Ryuuji had refused to drink when his boyfriend filled him a glass.

Jonouchi looked at the both of them and smirked.

-Wow, look who ended up as a happy couple. –He said, rolling his eyes.

Ryuuji looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed, but Honda replied back:

-Don’t worry, Jonouchi, you won’t be alone for all of your life.

-What does that mean? –Jonouchi frowned, but decided to drink more instead of arguing.

Yugi was sitting on the couch, looking at them and drinking quietly. He was glad to see Jonouchi cheerful again. After talking with Yugi, it seemed he had decided to carry on without overthinking it. He was kind of jealous of his ability to forget about things so easily. Or maybe he just hid it too well.

He then looked at Ryuuji.

-Congratulations. For both things. –He said.

Ryuuji felt how his cheeks got red, but he nodded quickly, hoping his friends wouldn’t notice. Honda looked at Yugi.

-By the way, your grades were good enough too, right? –He asked, curious.

Jonouchi talked too:

-Yeah! How come you aren’t going to Holo too? It’s a good chance, you know.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t like the attention to fall on him, but he had felt that he would have to talk about that sooner or later.

-I feel like I already have my place at Prism School. Holo just isn’t for me. –He said.

-How did…? –Ryuuji got into the conversation, feeling a bit shy to ask that question- How did you end up in Prism?

-Oh, right, you never told us. –Jonouchi pointed out.

Yugi sighed, a smirk appearing on his lips.

-You guys wanna know? –He said.

They all nodded at a time, and Yugi waited a couple of seconds before giving them the answer they had been asking for:

-Homicide attempt.


End file.
